Power Mentors
by Arytra
Summary: After the death of Zordon, the Rangers get back together to have an impromptu memorial. After, they make a decision that will impact the rest of their lives.
1. Zordon's Death

**Power Mentors**

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing. If I have to create a character, and I'm sure I will eventually, I'll take credit for that, but Power Rangers and all that comes with them is not mine and never will be.

_Summary_: After the death of Zordon, the Rangers get back together to have an impromptu memorial. After, they make a decision that will impact the rest of their lives. Later on, this story will be more comical. I enjoy writing comedy better than angst, but I needed to get it out in the first chapter. There will be some romance as it will include various couple including, but not limited to: Kim/Tommy, Trini/Jason, and Kira/Trent.

**Chapter One: Zordon's Death**

Tommy Oliver hadn't wanted to find out, not really no matter what he had thought before now. In his heart, he wanted to believe that the odd feeling of pain that was mixed with absolute joy that the world was safe from evil was simply a feeling of an era ending. However, when T.J. had given him the call, any hopes of that vanished and he was left with the painful truth: Zordon, his mentor, teacher, and symbol of ultimate good, was dead.

He ran a hand through his hair let out the breath he hadn't even noticed he was holding. It was a lot to take in, though T.J. had done his best to make it as painless as possible and he had agreed to tell some of the other Rangers. T.J. offered to let the second generation of power rangers know, but Tommy wouldn't let him tell the original Rangers. That was something he needed to do as he knew them better than any other Ranger. He managed to keep himself from truly accepting it as he didn't want to break down, not now when he had a job to do. He pulled himself out of the chair he was sitting in and over to the phone. He dialed up the first person on his list: Jason and waited for the former Red Ranger to answer the phone. He was both happy to hear his friend's voice yet pained that he had to do this when he heard the "Hello?" come from the other end.

"Jason?" Tommy asked.

"Tommy! Hey Bro!" Jason answered, sounding far more cheerful than his friend. He heard Tommy sigh on the other end.

"We need to talk…"

After detailing everything that T.J. had told him, Tommy paused and waited for Jason to say something. When he didn't hear anything after a bit, he got a little worried. "Jason?"

"He's dead," Jason answered, trying to absorb the news. Like Tommy, he'd had that feeling of pain as well. He was guessing that all the former rangers had it. After a few seconds, he continued. "Do the others know?"

"Just you so far. T.J. said he'd take care of Adam, Kat, Justin, Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya, but I felt I needed to let the rest of you know," Tommy answered. Jason was quiet on the other line for a moment and Tommy was really starting to worry that his best friend was cracking under the news.

"Are you in Angel Grove?" Jason asked finally.

"Yeah. After everything happened, I figured it was a good idea to come back for a while. Most of the former students and others who lived here are too. I mean, this is where it all began and if there was going to be more trouble, it would be here. I think everyone just wants to see if it's really over," Tommy answered. The newscast had hit as soon as possible after the final battle took place. Everyone on earth knew who the current power rangers had been and that they were not supposed to be attacked any longer.

"We're all coming back," Jason said. "Other than Billy. We haven't heard from him. Why don't you call Trini and Zack and I'll call Kimberly. We'll figure out how to get a hold of Billy later. We can meet up at the Command Center."

"Power Chamber," Tommy said without really thinking about it as he'd been around for the destruction of their first base.

"Power Chamber," Jason answered quickly.

Tommy quickly agreed and called the other two to let them know. He didn't even remember the phone calls really, other than the one with Jason, as he was mostly on autopilot. He certainly didn't remember the drive to Angel Grove or the trek to the ruined Power Chamber. However, once he saw the charred ruins, he knew he'd arrived. He hadn't seen any of the other's cars around where he parked him and assumed that he was the first one there. Once inside the ruins, however, he saw that a familiar man was already there.

"Billy?"

"Greetings, Tommy." The former blue ranger was just standing in front of the empty and broken tube, not really paying attention to his friend's presence. He looked nearly the same with his hair still sandy colored and a blue outfit. Tommy wasn't sure what to call it as it hadn't been made on earth, but it was definitely blue. Like Tommy, he looked older and Tommy hadn't even noticed until that moment that he was wearing a white and green outfit, with a bit of red in the mix. Old habits were hard to break. Billy continued. "I already know."

Tommy didn't bother to ask how, he really didn't care. Instead he joined his friend in just staring at everything. He had been around for the first destruction of the Command Center, as had Billy, and both knew it hadn't felt like this. Nothing they'd felt before truly felt like this. They'd felt fear before, but never a mind-numbing tragedy. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, not realizing anyone else had entered as he'd been lost in his thoughts. He whipped his head around and saw Jason staring back at him. Like Billy, the man looked older, wearing red and gold. The two of them forced a smile and gave a quick hug. Tommy motioned over toward the other man in the room. "Billy's back."

Jason's smile became slightly brighter and he walked over to the genius. "It's good to see you," he said.

"My aspirations to see you under superior circumstances seems to be ruined, but it is good to see you both," Billy answered. The other two nodded in agreement, but said nothing else. Their attention had moved from the tube for the moment and they were just staring at each other, as if trying to force the others to change the outcome.

"So it's true. He's gone." Zack Taylor slowly entered, not at all in his normal humor-filled state. He smiled a bit at the other three and they did quickly exchange greetings to each other, but they all sounded hollow, even the slightly more ecstatic greeting toward Billy. Jason noticed it first.

"It's not that I'm not happy to see you guys," he said quickly. "I just…"

"It feels like part of us was ripped apart. I know," Tommy said. He paused before adding "We all know."

"We all feel it." Trini's quiet voice seemed deafening as she entered, wrapping her arms around Billy, the closest friend to her. Then she move on to Jason, then Zack and finally Tommy in turn. Like the others, she looked like an adult instead of the teenager they had last seen, wearing a yellow outfit. She gave them a weak smile and looked, with the others, in the direction of the broken center, specifically where the tube lay. Jason walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. All were silent and they heard the final member enter.

Kimberly Hart headed over to where the others were. "Hey," was all she said which was answered with other quiet greetings. She took a place next to Trini and she felt Tommy wrap her up in a half-hug. After that, she started crying and Trini quickly followed. Zack felt the tears fall down his face as well and Billy took off his glasses and began to let himself feel the full brunt of what was going on. Tommy and Jason looked at each other as Jason moved himself to hold Trini and both noticed the tears threatening the other's face. Finally, they let them fall, quietly. All that could be heard in the destructed building were the heartbreaking sobbing of the six original power rangers, breaking down for the first time over the loss of their leader.

Kimberly took a cookie from the basket Trini had brought. After they were finished crying, they'd been left hungry and thirsty. Although adults, each of them felt younger than they had in a long time and yet old at the same time. They were sitting in silence so far, each of them quietly enjoying the junk food before them. They'd swept the debris into a pile on the opposite side of the Chamber and they had laid down the blanket that the food rested on. The 19 and 20 year old men and women were facing away from the tube as they tried to adjust. None of them wanted to leave, not yet, but they didn't want to keep looking at the reminder of what was lost. Finally, Kimberly spoke up. "What now?"

It was the question that they'd all been dreading. 'What now?' meant they needed to talk about a future without a Zordon or Alpha. While they had been assured that all evil was gone, they all knew that they agreed that that held true for present evil and not future evil. Jason sighed. "There isn't much we can do. After all, everything is destroyed and it's not like we know where more morphers are."

They were silent for a moment before Billy spoke up. "Perhaps, but maybe we could reconstruct several more. Lest this occurs again."

"Maybe you could," Zack scoffed, but Jason shook his head.

"No, we need to make sure there are as many as possible in case something else goes wrong. Billy's right, we can try to rebuild them. We'll try to make as many as we can," he said.

"Who's gonna wear them?" They all looked over at Kimberly. "I mean, we're young now, but…"

"We won't be young forever," Trini finished. The boys looked more unhappy about this, but Jason shrugged, taking to heart the words of their female companions. It may not have been the answer they wanted to hear, but it was a practical thought.

"We'll have to find others. Look, we're not doing this to relive our glory days. We're doing this because we're the eldest, the first, and we have to be responsible for it or no one else will," he said. "Billy, you're the obvious choice for this. Do you think you can start on Aquitar?"

"Affirmative," he answered.

"Trini, can you try here? I understand if you can't, but…"

"I'll give it my best shot, Jason," came her response.

Tommy raised his hand, almost shyly. "I'm willing to try too. I'm going for a PhD, so I might be able to figure it out."

Jason nodded. No one made a joke about it, though it surprised all of them. "No matter what, we eventually will have to be this future's mentors. We'll have to keep in touch. Billy, Kimberly, Tommy, you okay with that?"

"Affimative," Billy said. "A better communication system is already in effect."

Tommy looked at Kimberly and they both nodded. The pain of their former relationship, the Letter, the lack of calls, was forgotten. They'd eventually have to talk it out, but none of that seemed important anymore. Not as important as this past week and the future that they were all creating.

"Good. For Zordon," Jason stated, putting his hand in. The others set theirs on top.

"For Zordon."

**Author's Note:** I did some math and way too much research to find out how old the rangers would have been from when the series started to the death of Zordon. My findings were rather irksome for me when I realized that by going by the timetables set in the series, the original Rangers would have been a mere 14 years old when the series began. That is, of course, taking into account that none of the Rangers were moved up a year, a possibility for Jason and maybe Tommy considering I could not find a birth date for him. The series began in 1993 and they graduated in 1997. I fudged the dates so that they were 16 when the series began. Meaning when they got the news, it was late '98 and the rangers would have been 19 or 20. As I said, far too much research. However, if someone has done more than me, I would request that you let me know if I'm wrong so that I may fix it. Thanks!

I also do plan to continue this, so the next chapter should be up soon enough. I know where I want it to go. This will have the Dino Thunder team in it as well as I enjoyed the show immensely and it goes with my plot.


	2. So you're going to be a mentor

**Chapter 2: So You're Going to Be a Mentor…**

"And so I brought them back with me," Tommy finished, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder as he tried to make sure that everything he'd brought back was in a safe place. "I figure I'll set everything up here in Reefside." 

"With Hayley's help, I hope," the voice on the other line chided. He winced a bit. She didn't sound happy.

"Yes, Kim. With Hayley's help. Don't you trust me?" He asked, trying to make his voice sound as innocent as possible.

"You just blew up an island, Thomas Oliver. Is now really the time to ask me that?" He sighed at her response, as well justified as it was.

"Did I mention I brought back what was important? Look, can you meet me here?" He asked, trying to get her back on subject. "I'm going to call Hayley here in a minute, but…"

"I'm already in town, Tommy. When you mentioned that you were going to go that damned island, did you really expect me to stay away? Especially when I heard on the news that the same island exploded?" She snapped. "I'm at the hotel, but I've been heading over to your house since I saw your number come up. I'll be there soon."

"Kim…" he started, but the phone line had already clicked. Fair enough that she was angry. After all, they were supposed to be partners. Considering that there were three rangers that had agreed to try to create morphers, the other three had decided to partner up according to who worked best with the other. Kim and he had worked together the longest, other than with Billy, and the two were able to coordinate with each other both in physical and mental degrees. Trini and Jason were likewise able to work together which was just was well as Billy and Zack were far better matched than anyone realized with Billy's intelligence mixed with Zack's resourcefulness and resources in general. Billy's problem of communication had been fixed by Zack's growing company and they were able to keep better contact with each other than with anyone else was with the former blue ranger.

The last time he'd talked to the young business man, Zack had told him that Billy was a little past the research part of it and had moved into the gathering of materials. It would more than likely be several more years before he got anything into effect and Tommy was actually ahead of him in terms of progress now. He still couldn't believe that his energetic friend had managed to become such a successful business man, but his resourcefulness and quick-thinking were valuable assets that had allowed him to be great at his job and give them funding when they needed it. Not that Tommy had, considering he'd had Mercer, but Zack's growing fortune had allowed Jason and Kimberly the opportunity to open the dojo/gym mix and had funded much of Trini's research. The ecological scientist had managed few break-throughs, yet she was constantly searching for something that would work. He had chosen to look into the past for help, she into the present ecosystem, and Billy had looked on other worlds. That way, they made sure they were looking into three separate areas.

He shook himself out of his thoughts. Enough of that for now, he needed to call Hayley. He shifted the phone to his other ear to give the first a break and waited for his friend to answer the phone. He wasn't surprised by her response either. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

"Hi Hayley…" he stated, but she wasn't finished yet. He inwardly groaned as she continued her reprimand. He'd thought that when Kim and Hayley had met and gotten along that he wasn't going to have to worry about fighting or yelling, but he'd forgotten that two women who liked each other tended to band together against an outward target, i.e. him. "I take it you heard from Kim…"

"She just picked me up! She said you were going to call!" He held the phone away from his ear for a moment before listening again. "You had us worried sick!"

"I got that Hayley, but I save the gems and…" He started.

"It wouldn't have mattered if you were dead. The world is… look. We'll finish this when I get there, okay?" She growled. He could practically hear Kim nodded her head in agreement and knew that he was in for it when they got here. He quickly agreed and they hung up, leaving Tommy feeling more than nervous. Still, with the two of them there, they'd be able to get started on figuring out what to do now. After all, unlike Zordon, they didn't have the ability to make random things appear when needed. They needed to build them. Then again, Alpha had built a lot, so maybe he was off base. When you're sitting around for 10,000 years, it was much easier to plan things and build things. He only had a certain amount of years on earth and it was only a matter of time before evil came back, so they needed to work as quickly as possible.

He heard the door open and slam. "In the basement!" He called, muddling around the nearly empty room. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, having set the gems aside for now, but he had a feeling that it might go better for him if he looked busy. Both women entered, one right after the other, into the room and faced him. Kim's arms were folded while Hayley's were on her hips but both shared the pursed lips and the glare of a ranger woman, even if Hayley had never been a ranger. Tommy quickly decided that it had to do with knowing the secret or from hanging out with a ranger. "I hate it when you two gang up."

Hayley threw up her hands and Kimberly just continued to look at him. "You're not a ranger anymore," she reminded him. She looked older now, though still just as beautiful in his eyes. They hadn't dated again, though they had put the ugliness of the past behind them and built up a strong friendship again. "You could have been killed. You should have been killed. Do you understand the word 'killed'?"

"But…" he said. "I got the gems."

"You're going to keep bringing those things up until I decide to agree with you, aren't you?" She asked. At his sheepish look, she rolled her eyes. "Damn it, Tommy!"

Hayley, on the other hand, was looking at the crystals. She reached to pick one up, but Tommy raced past Kimberly, cutting her off before she could continue, and grabbed Hayley's hand. "No! If you touch it, it might bond!" He said quickly. "We're not supposed to be rangers."

"No thank you." Hayley put both hands up and made sure not to touch it as she examined it. Kim, on the other hand, moved from reprimanding to business quickly after that.

"So, we have the gems. Now what?" She asked. Tommy sighed and sat down.

"Now, I need Hayley to help be build a Com… base of operations," he said, changing his wording quickly. "And I need you to help me think of things we could use."

"So, we're in brain storm mode, huh?" She asked. He nodded and the two sat down to think. Hayley joined them and began to sketch out ideas on what they came up with.

"Well, morphers," Tommy said. Kim just looked at him. "I know, duh."

Hayley grinned and pulled out a different sheet of paper. "Already taken care of the design. How do they look?"

Both of the former rangers looked over the designs and nodded approvingly. Kimberly smiled at her. "They look great. May I make a suggestion though? Can you build a communicator into the morpher because I remember being sixteen and responsibility was not always there."

"Afraid they'll lose one or the other?" Tommy asked in amusement. Kim's eyes narrowed a bit.

"You did. I did. We all did at some point. If it wasn't our communicators, it was our morphers. Face it, teenagers aren't the most observant people on the planet."

Hayley nodded. "I'll agree with that. I had moments of my own where I lost things and that didn't even include saving the world. I'll see what I can do, Kim."

"Thanks, Hayley," Kim answered. Tommy got back to thinking.

"Well, unless Hayley's a miracle worker, I think the teleporter is still a little out of our league, but we need a way to get around," he said. "Some of my experiments should work but, I, uh, sort of lost them when the island exploded."

"You lost them?!" Both women cried out. The former multicolored ranger looked embarrassed by this and both women rolled their eyes. Hayley reached over and began to write something down.

"Leave it to me," she said and looked at Kim. "I know you tell me he was worse than this, but are you sure you weren't exaggerating?"

"Sadly no. We tried to help him, but after he got worse, we stopped. He's actually better now." she answered. Tommy tried to ignore the conversation and concentrate, deciding not to bring up that he was trying to get off an exploding island with the gems. They sat there for hours on end, thinking about various things and trying to come up with every little thing that Zordon had had, or at least an alternative to it. After, they leaned back in the chairs to relax, well, other than Hayley who leaned back, but continued to jot down ideas.

"We're going to have to tell the others," Kim mentioned. Hayley nodded, but Tommy paused. It was hard enough to admit to these two women that he'd lost a lot of what he'd been working on. Kimberly gave him a look. "We promised each other we'd let the others know and I know that Trini isn't anywhere near ready and Billy is still behind us."

"Yeah. So, are they going to come here to help or are we doing this on our own?" He asked. Kim paused at the question. It was a good one as they'd all agreed to be mentors, but with the other teams still creating, taking them away from their work might not be the best in case something went wrong with the gems, the morphers, or the gems didn't work well with morphers. After all, they'd gone through several morphers and zords in their tenure as Power Rangers. A back up plan would be nice to have.

"Our own, I think," she answered. "I'll visit every weekend. Don't worry about the cost. If you let me stay here, Zack will supply the money. That said, Hayley, when you come up with a better vehicle…"

"You'll be the first person I call. I promise," Hayley answered, waving her free hand as she continued writing.

"Good. And Tommy? Don't be too proud to ask Zack for help. With Anton gone, Zack's the best payroll you can get," she said and leaned into him, whispering. "And maybe get something for Hayley, huh?"

"An early Christmas present?" Tommy asked and Kimberly nodded. They both knew what she'd been trying for and they remembered how much they'd enjoyed the Juice Bar. A modern version would be a great addition to the city, especially for the youth.

"Exactly. Make sure you put my name on the card." With that, the former pink ranger hugged them both, making sure not to wrinkle any of Hayley's pages, and headed for the door. "Call me if you need anything, but right this second, I think I'll be in the way."

Tommy chuckled and got to work helping Hayley prepare. He knew that Kimberly would take care of calling the others as she wanted to help with something and that left less that he had to do. He smiled to himself at that and wondered what the future held.

**Author's Note:** After this chapter, an AU version of Dino Thunder begins. Mainly because the other rangers will be involved. Things may change due to that fact, but the timeline will stay on course until the end of the actual series where this story will continue. This will be a long story, though I'm not quite sure how long yet.

Haley's café was of interest to me as I loved the concept of it being like the Juice Bar. However, it seems to have been around for a few years and watching some of my peers, it's difficult to get a loan with no collateral and with school loans hanging over your head. So, the idea of the present came to mind where they helped her get it up and running. It's only fair with everything she does and goes through.

Last, but certainly not least, thank you for the reviews. It really made my day. I wish I could give you guys a timetable on how soon everything will be up, but I figure unless something bad happens, I should be able to get up a chapter a week minimum. Depending on the week, such as this one, more is a possibility.


	3. Students are a Necessity

**Chapter Three: Students are a Necessity**

"You ready to go, Squirt?" Kimberly looked over at Jason as he stood there, arms crossed and a serious expression on his face. He leaned against the door frame patiently as she finished zipping up the last bag and nodded.

"You're sure you don't mind if I leave some stuff here for now, Jason?" She asked. "I mean, furniture is one thing since we were sharing that, but I can take more time to get everything else out."

Jason shook his head. "Nah. I don't plan on getting another roommate until Trini's back and she won't mind. You might not get it back for a while though." He walked over to her and held his arms out. She quickly took the hug he was offering and they were silent for a moment. "I'll miss you too, Kim."

"You'll come and visit, right? And you know that you don't have to do anything for the gym, other than let Anna in so that she can train her girls. And if something goes wrong, you can call. And…" She probably would have continued babbling, but Jason covered her mouth with his hand.

"Yes, I'll visit. Yes, I know and stop worrying," he said gently before giving her a serious look. "Let me know if Tommy and you need help. I know he won't ask. Stubborn son of…"

"Oh, help," she said, half annoyed and half amused. Jason winced. He knew where this was going. "Like, say, if we need to go to the moon to take on Serpentera?"

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" He asked and she sweetly smiled.

"Not on your life. Still, I'll call," she promised. They stood there for a moment. "I should get going."

"Probably. And Kim? Would you mind checking over that video that he was creating? I don't want to look bad," he mentioned, grinning. She laughed and nodded as they headed out to her car. She didn't mind at all since she agreed with Jason's worries and wanted to make sure that the pink ranger looked good on camera. One last hug good-bye and Kim was permanently on her way to Reefside.

"Kim!" Hayley's call reached over the music of the café to the former pink ranger's ears. The two girls quickly reached each other and hugged before Kim told her about the ride up. They moved through the café, got Kim a smoothie, and settled down to talk.

"It's been a while, Hayley. Last time I saw you, I think was after you finished the cycles," Kim said. After a while, it had become unnecessary for Kim to visit every weekend and she'd come up every month instead. "I thought Tommy was going to kill us."

"Serves him right," Hayley muttered. "After that last moon stunt, we deserved to shake things up for him. Besides, did he really expect us to give untested vehicles to minors?"

Kim laughed. "I don't think he was thinking about that. I think he was thinking about the two of us testing vehicles that could get us across town in about a minute and a half. The look on his face was worth it," she answered. "So, first day of school for our little Tommy, huh?"

Hayley nodded, relaxing into her seat. "He seemed nervous. He's supposed to be finished at 3:00, so we could probably head over there at 4:00. Surprise him."

"Sounds good to me! Jason says I'm supposed to look over the video he made to make sure he didn't put in anything embarrassing of him," Kim said, laughing as she said it. Hayley joined in.

"Well, I wanted to put in that picture of Jason after their moon ordeal, you know, the one with the tequila, the table, and the fish, but Tommy made me delete it," Hayley pouted. Kim laughed even harder. They joked around and talked about this and that before Trent, Hayley's worker, showed up. After politely asking him to watch the café, and with it getting close to 4:00, the two women headed toward the door, getting into Kim's car and driving out to Tommy's house. They parked the car in the back where Tommy usually put his jeep and headed toward the front.

Hayley opened the door and headed in. "You know, former ranger or not, you'd think he'd lock the door."

"Nah. That would mean he'd have to remember," Kim joked as they headed over to the skeleton on the table. Hayley looked at Kim, who nodded, and they opened the door to the lab. "Jeez, Girl! It looks better every time I see it!"

"Well, this should be the final showing for you," Hayley said with a shrug. "I'm finished for now." 

Kim looked around the room, nodding to herself as she scoped out some of the new additions. Finally, she headed over to the rock in the middle of the room as she usually did to look at the gems. It was more habit now than anything, but she still tended to look to make sure that they were still there and just because they were beautiful in their own right. The steam poured out, dissipating into the air quickly, but there was something different. "Hayley, did Tommy move the gems?"

"No, he said he likes them there. Sort of as a centerpiece," Hayley answered, working on the computer. She paused and turned the chair around. "Why?"

"They're not here," Kim answered.

"What?!" Hayley asked, racing over to join the other woman. They quickly began to search the floor frantically and make sure that nothing else was missing. Both women panicked, knowing what would happen if evil had somehow shown up and taken them while they were unaware of its presence, not just in the lab but in general.

"Tommy," Kim blurted out. "We should call Tommy."

"Right," Hayley agreed, both hoping that Tommy had set them aside somewhere and forgotten to tell them. Kim pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number, waiting for him to pick up, but Hayley groaned. "Not again!"

Hayley led the way upstairs where, sure enough, Tommy's cell phone rang on the table. Both women rolled their eyes and it was Kimberly's turn to groan. They threw themselves down onto the couch and sighed, wondering what they were supposed to do now and nearly jumped when they heard the door open. "Kim? Hayley?" Tommy asked as he came in. "I saw the car outside and…"

"Did you move the gems?" Kim asked, not even pausing to say hello. She'd leapt up and headed over to him, Hayley on her heels. While she didn't need to add anything, her arms were crossed and Hayley wasn't much better with worried expression on her face. Tommy looked confused.

"Hello to you too. No, I didn't move them. Why?" He asked.

"They're missing," Hayley answered. After that, neither woman needed to worry about their lack of polite greetings as Tommy raced down the stairs. Both women quickly chased after. Like they had done, he searched the floor and anywhere else he could think of. They just stood back and watched as he finished doing what they had done earlier. Finally, he shook his head and hit the wall. Hayley jumped and Kim twitched, but all three felt the anguish of losing the one hope they had right now for protecting the world.

"Maybe we can find them on the computer? You know, who has them or whatever?" Kim suggested. Tommy looked a little surprised and Hayley had a 'why didn't I think of that?' look, but they did quickly nod. The three quickly got to work on looking for where they might have gone, each a little preoccupied so that they didn't hear any intruders until they heard the door to the lab open. All three looked at each other and Tommy motioned over to where he was, hidden and out of sight. It was a good idea to see what they were facing before they tried to face it. All of them kept quiet and listened.

"This is the same place!" One voice called out, surprised. Kim looked a little surprised as the voice sounded younger, like a teen. Hayley smiled a bit, recognizing the voice, but she'd decided to remain hidden even if the other two came out of hiding. For now, she wanted to be the silent partner.

"Are you freaking out right now?" A second voice asked.

"Yeah," came the answer from the first. "I'd have to say I am."

Tommy looked furious as he headed out. Kim stayed by Hayley, not quite sure who the boys were, but she could tell that the former technicolored ranger did. "If you're looking for extra credit," he snapped. "You're in the wrong place."

Kim's eyes widened. _Of course!_ She thought to herself. _They're his students._ She suddenly felt horribly bad for these two boys as Tommy didn't seem to be in the best of moods right now and more than likely would take it out on the two teenagers. Then again, they were trespassing, but they seemed decent enough. She waited as they tried to explain themselves.

"Dr. O, before you go off, can we explain why we're here?" The first voice asked and Kimberly could hear the teenagers backing up. _Yep. Definitely feeling bad for them._

"Dude, he's just going to laugh if we tell him," the second boy half-whispered.

"It's the truth!" The first exclaimed with the naivety of someone who believed that just because it was true, people would accept it. "He'll believe us."

"Alright," the second said, though not thoroughly convinced. "Kira's gone."

"She got taken by these weird looking dinosaur things," the first boy added. Kim could hear the worry in their voices and she knew that Tommy was feeling guilty considering that he'd helped to make those creatures. Therefore, they were all on a worried guilt trip which was probably the last thing this girl needed right now.

"He doesn't look convinced," the second boy half-whispered again. There was a pause before Tommy headed away from them. Kim relaxed a bit, knowing that the teacher's change in direction was definitely a bonus for the boys.

"They're called Tyrannodrones," he said regretfully.

"And you would know that because…?" The first boy asked.

"I helped create them," came the answer. Kim winced as there was definite guilt in that voice she'd have to convince wasn't his fault later.

"Oh, class project?" The first asked, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"It's a long story. For now, we've got to figure out what they want with Kira," Tommy said.

"It might have something to do with these," the second boy said, sounding guilty. Kim's eyes closed and even without really seeing the boys she knew what he was holding. Still, she did feel better about the whole thing. She was happy that the gems had fallen into the hands of teenagers instead of the hands of evil and this would just save time on trying to find someone to take them. Perhaps it wasn't the ideal way of finding some new recruits, but they'd come looking for help when someone else got hurt. When one of their newly formed teammates got hurt, or at least in trouble. Kim was hoping she wasn't dead and was just captured right now. Whether they realized it or not, they were already on the right track and she felt a sense of relief that the boys seemed like good enough teenagers. So, when she heard what Tommy said next, her eyes narrowed. Hayley had the good sense to move out of her way.

"…Don't call me 'Dude'. Second, as hard as this may seem, you two need to forget all about this. I'll find Kira," he told them, heading for the door, ignoring the two boys at this point.

"Thomas Oliver! Freeze!" Kim said coming out of the shadows, arms folded and eyes filled with anger and annoyance. He did as she commanded and turned to look at her. Both teenagers backed up a bit, not quite sure what was going on, but glad that it wasn't them in her line of fire. "You arrogant, blind..."

"Oh no," Tommy said, taking her head on without backing down. "Not them. They were in detention, Kim."

"They took the gems, they held the gems, and more than likely, the gems have already started bonding," she snapped and turned her attention to the two boys, both of which had their hands up in front of them and the deer in the headlights look to them. She tried to soften her expression a bit, not wanting to scare them off. "Have you two had any odd experiences? A new feeling?"

They both looked a little embarrassed. The first boy, a young African-American, looked at the other, a young Caucasian teen, as if to ask what to do. The Caucasian shrugged and ran from one side of the room to the other, quickly. The African-American shrugged. "I have tougher skin," he offered weakly. Kim nodded.

"They're chosen, they're our responsibility and they're coming with," she said. She motioned to the door and set the two boys in front of her as she started out. "Come on, Doctor."

Tommy groaned, but followed. They needed to save Kira anyway.

They were on their way when Kim turned around in her seat to look at the boys. "I'm Kimberly, Kimberly Hart. You two can call me Kim, if you like, or Kimberly, or Ms. Hart. Whichever makes you feel the most comfortable. So, do you two have names?"

They looked at each other before the Caucasian spoke up. "Connor McKnight."

"Ethan James," answered the second. Kimberly nodded.

"It's nice to meet you both. Since I know he'll take forever and take his eyes off the road while he's at it, if there's a question he doesn't like, I'll fill you in. The gems bonded to you. They're yours now. The Tyranndrones, along with a lot of Dr. Oliver's experiments created with a man named Anton Mercer were supposed to be destroyed when the island was destroyed. Obviously, didn't happen. Someone's changed them, not hard when they're technology and dinosaur mixes. We're not sure what else is out there either. If one experiment survived, well… Anyway, Mesagog was the one who attacked the island, we thought he was dead, we were wrong, we have to stop him and we'd like your help. Any questions so far?"

"Uh… lots?" Ethan said, trying to sound as sincere as possible so she didn't wring his neck. Fortunately for the boys, however, she seemed calm enough toward them and only slightly irritated now with their teacher at this point. "We'll just ask later. We need to find Kira. It's not like she's just going to fall out of the sky and land right in front of us…"

No sooner had he said those words than they watched a young woman fall out onto their hood. All five of them looked at each other in shock for a moment before reacting. They leapt out of the car, Kimberly getting there first and gently helping her up. The boys quickly gathered by her and they started talking about it, but Kim had that feeling in her spine that said something wasn't quite right. The same feeling that she'd managed to near the end of her tenure as a power ranger. Usually, it was right before putties showed up. She was knocked out of her thoughts when the girl's attention fell toward the woman.

"Who are you?" Kira asked, looking at Kimberly.

"That's Kim," Ethan answered. "She's cool."

"Well, still, guys, way to show up when I don't need you anymore," she snapped. Kim ignored it, understanding how getting kidnapped could lead to a bad day and since no sooner had the girl said those words than Tyranndrones shown up anyway, there wasn't much time to dwell on it. All three teenagers stood ready, but Tommy and Kim stood in front of them protectively. Considering their day, the teens weren't complaining.

"New Goldar?" She asked Tommy.

"That would be my guess," he answered.

"You don't know?" Kim's exclaimed. "I thought you built these things."

"Well, I didn't build that!" He answered, indignant over her tone.

"Come peacefully or suffer the consequences," the creature growled.

"I'd have to say no," Tommy said and Kim scoffed.

"As if," she added. Once the battle had begun, however, Kim was starting to realize why Zordon chose teenagers and half-way wished she was stuck in a tube. She was definitely getting too old for this. Still, she was holding her own well enough, using the same style fighting she had used in her ranger days. If nothing else, it surprised the Tyrannodrones and kept them guessing. A glance at Tommy and she realized that she wasn't the only one who struggling, though he seemed to get back in the scheme of things quicker. It was little wonder why as the former male ranger had been a ranger longer than anyone else.

She also noticed that the three teens were doing well enough on their own and when she heard Kira's Ptera Scream, she was starting to definitely feel she was right about these teens. All of them, including Kim, regrouped behind Tommy and the creature left along with the Tyranndrones. Kim relaxed a bit at that, still remember how often it happened when they were rangers.

"Let's get you guys home. It's getting late and I don't want your parents to worry," Tommy mentioned.

"I'm sure you don't. Then you might actually have to explain something," Ethan snapped.

"I'll fill you guys in tomorrow after school," he promised.

"I'll hold him to it, but he's right. It is getting late," she said, sounding tired. "Are you three alright?"

They looked themselves over and nodded and she ushered them back to the jeep. "I'm glad to hear that. Come on, guys. Who's closest?"

After dropping the teenagers off, they headed back to the house, finding a note from Hayley. She had borrowed Kim's car to get back to work in order to lock up, promising that she'd pick Kim up the next day to give it back. Kim would be able to move into her apartment then as well. She was feeling more than a little grateful that Hayley wasn't expecting her to work until the end of the week. As Kim was having to help mentor, they decided that a job that was easy for her to leave if she needed to would be beneficial especially with Tommy as a teacher, so Hayley had invited her to work for her which Kim quickly accepted. That way, Kim didn't have to explain, there wasn't a long list of unexplained emergencies to a boss that had no idea who she was, and Kim was at least able to help if Tommy couldn't get away.

Once she read the note, Kim collapsed into a chair and Tommy wasn't far behind. "I'm going to have to stay here tonight," she told him, showing him the note. He just nodded, but his mind was on a different topic.

"We need to figure out how this mentoring is going to work," he told her. "For instance, how you're not allowed to yell at me in front of them."

"Will you settle for a most of the time?" She asked. "Because, I'm not sure I can promise for all the time."

"Fine," he answered. They sat there for a while, both trying to figure out what to do. Finally, Kim sighed.

"Well, we're not going to be able to be exactly like Zordon. He had years of patience and we have, like, none." Both of them looked at each other at that realizing how much they really didn't know about mentoring new rangers even if they had been rangers. They were also learning that they didn't have Zordon's desirable traits constantly handy to them such as patience or staying almost completely calm all the time. "Especially you."

"Me?!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Yes, you. We've been waiting for someone to use the gems. It was a simple concept: evil shows up, the teens use the gems, and we mentor. Three teens land right in our lap, bonded and ready to go and you were ready to throw them out the door!" She yelled.

"Why them, Kim? Huh? Why them? Why are you so ready to just decide that they were the ones who were supposed to get those?" He yelled back. Her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists.

"Because the gems chose them. Because they came back. Because they did what we did! They left and when they got into trouble, they came here. They trust you!" They were getting louder and louder now, though still sitting down. Fortunately, the pain they were feeling wasn't allowing for them to get up and throttle each other.

"Maybe I wanted to choose! Maybe I wanted to talk to them about it! Maybe I wanted…" he started and stopped, but Kim, calming down, took over.

"For them to have a choice?" She asked and he nodded once. "You feel responsible, don't you?"

"They were my gems, Kim. They were in my house and I practically told them to take them when I promised no more detention if they found 'something prehistoric'," he told her.

"You're not the only one who was involved, Tommy," she said gently. "Hayley and I helped build this place and I came up with some of the ideas for things. I've been involved with this every step of the way and I'm scared too. Those kids are our responsibility. Our responsibility, Tommy, not just yours. You're not the Zordon and I'm not the Zordon, we both are. Together."

Both paused as they took in what they had been purposefully overlooking. Before now, it had all been just talk. There was no one involved, but now there were three teenagers who had been dragged into the middle of this and were expecting the two adults of the group to help them. They'd always known that Zordon wouldn't be able to physically help them, but every time he'd disappeared or been cut off, they'd worried and felt insecure. He had been their security blanket and they often worried about disappointing him. Under his mentorship, they had become a family, but they had been the children in that family. Now, they were the adults, the parental figures who were expected to have an answer. Even being near thirty years old, they were scared over the concept.

"Well, what about Hayley?" Tommy asked and Kim laughed, though not in a mean way.

"She's like Alpha, except more on the ball. She hasn't been there, Tommy, on the front lines, fighting with everything she has to make sure tomorrow is a better place. She is in charge of the technology stuff and she works with teenagers everyday at the café. She's like a mix between Alpha and Ernie," Kim explained, trying to find a term for their friend before turning the discussion back toward them. "Why don't we take this mentoring thing one day at a time until we figure out what we're doing? We'll explain everything to the kids… sorry, the soon-to-be new rangers, and we'll just try to keep them alive. Beyond that, we'll just make it up as we go along."

"Deal, Ms. Hart," he said, his joking attitude returning. He reached over and held out his hand which she shook.

"Good, Dr. Oliver," she answered back, smiling. After a second, she frowned. "There is just one more problem."

"What?" Tommy asked, immediately worried and wracking his brain to figure out what he'd already forgotten.

"Who's going to cook dinner? I'm starved, but I'm not…" she began, but was cut off by a pillow hitting her in the face. She knew she deserved it for worrying him, but that didn't stop her from throwing it back at him.

"I'll call for pizza," Tommy answered and smirked. "But you're answering the door."

Kim groaned. "No fair!"

"My house, my rules."

"Mean."

"Well, this is just peachy," Kimberly muttered, struggling to make sure everything stayed in place as they earthquake shook the house. She grateful that she was still at Tommy's house instead of at Hayley's considering that meant she could fix anything that broke. She heard her phone ring and grabbed it out of her pocket once she was sure the earthquake was over. "Hello?"

_"Kimberly? Do you have any idea what's going on?"_ Hayley's voice was slightly panicked, but she was still doing better than most of the city whether or not the two women knew that.

"Not yet, Hayley. I'm just trying to make sure… Uh… scratch that. So, that's how the computer works," Kim said as she accidentally turned on the main computer. "Shit! I think I know who found some of Tommy's experiments!"

_"Please tell me it was some of the smaller ones,"_ Hayley begged.

"No such luck, Hayley," Kim responded, though she was groaning just as bad as her friend. "I gotta go. I'll check back in with you later."

_"Got it. Bye."_ Hayley didn't even wait until Kim answered, but hung up quickly to give the other woman more time. Kim moved quickly to find the box they'd put the morphers in. At least Hayley and Kimberly had managed to hide those instead of leaving them in plain sight like the gems. She pulled it out and blew the dust off of the case before setting it down. She bit her lip as she prepared, hoping that Tommy and the teens would be able to make it back to the house. She was relieved when she heard them coming down the stairs.

She shot Tommy a quick, relieved smile. "Next time," she teased, "Can you build something that doesn't try to kill us all? Like a kitten or a puppy?"

Ethan looked at the woman and a small smile appeared on his face. "With his luck, it would probably shoot lasers."

Tommy shot him a look, which made Ethan quiet down, but Kim just laughed and held out the box which Tommy quickly took. "We, I mean you guys, will have to tame them," he told the teens who stared at him as if he'd grown another head. Then again, with what he had just asked them to do, he may as well have.

"If it's all the same to you, Dr. O, I'll bbl," Ethan said, heading toward the door.

"Be back later," Kim quickly said, seeing Tommy's confusion. With time, she'd actually gotten pretty good with internet functions on a computer and chatting was one of her favorite activities on it. "Ethan, wait!"

"You can do this," Tommy encouraged as the boy stopped and turned around. "But you won't have to do it alone. We've had these waiting. Dino morphers. Use these to become power rangers."

He opened the box, showing them the morphers. At all of their looks, Kimberly was once again reminded of getting her power coin and how shocking everything seemed. She also remembered the next step that the other rangers and she had done which was to walk out on Zordon and from the looks on their faces, she realized that they were headed in that direction. Tommy was explaining about the gems, but she just kept an eye on them realizing that this sort of news wasn't easy to handle.

"When I found the gems, I realized their potential and created the morphers. Then I hid the gems so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands," Tommy informed them.

"How do you know these are the right hands?" Connor asked and Tommy looked at Kimberly, remembering their conversation the night before. She just nodded and smiled, trusting him.

"The gems are yours, you didn't choose them, they chose you," he said. "The only way for Mesagog to get the gems now is to destroy the three of you."

Kimberly's look of approval was dashed as she put her head in her hand. _Well, on the top list of things never to leave up to Tommy again, this little talk will be right at the top. The next time we get new rangers, I'll do this talk._

She wasn't the least bit surprised at their reactions. "Okay for future reference, that's not a good selling point," Ethan mentioned and the others looked as if they agreed.

"All I know is, I don't remember asking to be a super hero," Connor added, annoyed like his companions. Kimberly had the feeling they were going to lose them at this point, so she quickly added into the conversation.

"I know you didn't," she said quickly. "And I'll let you in on a little secret: Power Rangers never do. They never ask for the responsibility, but they're always chosen for it because of something in them. And it's a scary thought to have that kind of responsibility hanging on your shoulders, but you'll do fine. Rangers always do."

"How do you know?" Connor snapped. "We found the gems yesterday and then we got abilities and…"

"And now you're expecting us to turn into Power Rangers and tame giant cyborg dinosaurs?" Ethan continued.

"This is too freaky," Kira finished. Kim smiled a bit.

"Tell you what," she said. "When this is all said and done, we'll come back here, call your parents, and have some pizza while Tommy and I explain everything. And I mean everything. But we're running out of time and people are dying. Please, just take the morphers."

The teens looked at each other and then at the two adults who were practically begging them to take the morphers. To Kim and Tommy's relief, they grabbed them. Tommy continued. "Alright, now all you have to do is say Dino Thunder, power up and you'll be transformed. You'll know what to do."

"And if you don't, we'll be with you every step of the way to help you," Kim promised.

"Dino Thunder. What, did you come up with that?" Connor asked looking at Ethan.

"I kinda like it," Ethan answered. Connor scoffed.

"You would," he said.

"Less arguing for now, okay guys?" Kim pushed.

"You're going to have to work together and believe in yourselves or this won't work," Tommy added. He looked over at Kim again and at her nod, turned back toward them. "We believe in you."

"Really?" Connor asked and Kim saw the scared boy he was trying to cover up. She saw the fear on Ethan and Kira's faces and she knew that they were definitely going to have to work hard for these kids.

"Really," Kim promised. Tommy nodded in agreement. "Now let's get going, okay?"

They raced out to the jeep and stopped in the middle of downtown. Kim leapt out of the jeep and looked around, she had that feeling again and she wasn't wrong. Before she knew it, the bad guys had arrived, the three teens were powered up, given their weapons, and on a role toward saving the city. She'd always thought that Hayley had overdone herself with those weapons, but as there were only three of them and they were going to need all the help they could get, she was glad the genius had thought ahead. She smiled proudly at bit at their job well done, until they started losing. Her smile faded into worry and she raced over to Tommy.

"They're losing! Now what?" She asked, trying not to panic. Tommy thought for a moment, though he was just as worried.

"Rangers! Combine your weapons!" He decided quickly. He gave a quick shrug to Kimberly who just nodded. It had always worked for them and it seemed to work for the new Rangers as well as the villain, hurt, decided to run, well, disappear into an invisaportal. Within moments and with only a little added encouragement from Tommy, the trio managed to tame their zords. Looking back on it, Kim was glad that hers had come pretamed. Having to deal with new powers, new suits, and then taming a zord would have made for a harder first day than the one she'd had. It was little surprise to her when the teens won. They were already doing a great job. The Biozords went back into hiding as Kim and Tommy motioned for the teens to change back, which they quickly did before all five were back in the jeep and heading home.

True to her word, while the teens called their parents, giving them some sort of lie that the three had concocted, she ordered pizza for them, including soda. Tommy looked nervous about this, not wanting to tell them who they really were, but Kim would have none of it since she had made the promise. After a silent battle, Tommy turned away leaving Kim the winner. "Give them the bracelets," she whispered. "And I'll do most of the explaining."

"Promise?" He asked and she nodded. "Fine."

He gave them the quick speech about keeping the bracelets with them at all times and how everything was going to change, similar to the speech they'd gotten years ago, before turning it over to Kim. She sat down across from them while Tommy stood over her. She messed with her hair a bit, a nervous habit, before she began. "About ten years ago," she began, "a sorceress named Rita Repulsa came to try to take over the world, starting with a city called Angel Grove."

"I remember," Kira said. "They were constantly under attack, but they had the Power Rangers."

"Right," Kim said. "Well, it wasn't quite as simple as that. See, Rita's worst enemy was a wizard, a good wizard, named Zordon. He'd been trapped in another dimension for over 10,000 years."

She felt a slight lump in her throat that often happened when they spoke of Zordon, especially when she knew that she'd have to explain what happened to him. Over the several years since, they'd all gotten much better, but there were still times like now when she got choked up, especially when she would have given anything to get advice from her old mentor right now. "Anyway," she continued. "There was him and he was trapped and Alpha 5, a robot, and they couldn't do much on their own. So, they looked around and found five teenagers, taking them to the Command Center in order to give them their first morphers. Only, these five teenagers didn't want the power and thought that it was all ridiculous and as a group, they walked out… we walked out."

"We?" Ethan said, looking between his teacher and the woman in front of him.

"Well, not Tommy. He wasn't there, but yes, I was one of the originals. We were attacked and we did go back to Zordon to take the responsibility he'd handed us. It was the scariest moment of my life, but just like you guys, I did it along with my friends and I have never regretted becoming a Power Ranger since. Of course there were times I wanted to quit and eventually, I did, but the time I was a ranger was the dearest time for me."

"Not to say we had to push you out the door when it was time for you to leave," Tommy muttered. She gently smacked his arm.

"Hey! Who's telling this story? Me. Now, shh. Anyway, I completely understand all the emotions you're going through. So does Tommy. He was a Ranger too," she informed them, ignoring Tommy's quiet groans. She just smiled and motioned to his reaction. "He just didn't want you to know yet."

"Thank you, Kim," Tommy grumbled. Kim paused after that, not sure of what else to say. The three teens were quiet for a moment before Ethan spoke up.

"So, how come you're teaching us instead of this Zordon guy?" He asked, regretting the question a bit as the two adults seemed deflated by the question.

"During the Space Rangers battle, he was killed. His death destroyed evil for the time, but not for all time," she answered. "Tommy and I were both retired when we found out and along with the other original Rangers, we agreed to become mentors for future generations: you guys," she answered. Tommy squeezed her shoulder and she smiled at him. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but we're here if you need us. If you need to talk or something is bothering you, we've probably been there and we can walk you through it."

She pulled out two extra communicators from her purse as Hayley had gotten the third, but unlike the teenagers' bracelets, theirs were clear and only communicators. She handed one to Tommy and took the other. "If one of us isn't at the computer, you'll be able to reach us through these."

The doorbell rang and Kimberly went to get the pizzas. She struggled to bring everything back, but all three teenagers were on their feet and helping her bring over the food. Once she had set everything down, she turned to the teenagers and smiled. "So, how about a movie?"

Author's Note: This is about as close to an episode as I'm going to get, but it's difficult to break away from the first couple of episodes considering everything is sort of packed into them. I hope I did a sufficient enough of a job of making it go my own way.

Once again, thank you for the wonderful reviews. I really do appreciate them and I make sure to read all of them, so I definitely am looking at all of your suggestions and input to take into consideration for future chapters. Thank you all so much for both the comments and suggestions.


	4. Unwanted Work

**Chapter Four: Unwanted Work**

"So, we had three new rangers, three zords, and absolutely no idea what we were doing. Hayley, at that point, I just realized exactly what all we'd been preparing for and what if we mess up? What if this wasn't a good idea?" Kim asked as she sipped her coffee. Hayley listened patiently on the other line having been lost in the loop for the past couple of days while Tommy and Kim had been piecing everything together. She kept glancing around her café to keep an eye on things as she listened to her friend's update and concerns. "I know I told Tommy we'd take it a day at a time, but I'm just trying to get through the next five minutes without a panic attack."

"Kim, you said it yourself. You're just going to figure this out as you go along and… Damn. They just walked in. You'll be fine. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Hayley asked quickly. Kim chuckled at her friends' insistence to not be considered part of the Rangers world right now as the Techie, but instead taking on her Ernie role as she wanted to get to know them as teenagers first.

"Alright. Talk to you later, Hayley," she managed to get out before the other woman mumbled a good-bye and hung up the phone. She leaned back in her seat as she faced the computer, grumbling a bit. Tommy had gotten the more enjoyable job of rounding up whichever of the teens he could find and go looking for eggs. With Hayley working, and it being the day before Kim went to help her, she'd been given watch duty in case something happened. She used the camera to look around the city and eventually to Hayley, Tommy, and the Rangers as well. She felt calmer when she could see that they were all doing well and laughed when she saw that Tommy had only managed to rope Ethan into going along with him. She checked on the Zords to make sure that they were doing well and saw them resting in their hiding place. They didn't often expend too much energy.

After watching the Biozords for a few minutes, she realized why she hated watch duty. It was boring, yes, but more importantly it was lonely. She could use the communicators to chat with the others, but she knew better than to do that without an emergency. Besides, she didn't want to set a bad example for the teens. Everyone else was doing something they enjoyed, sans Ethan, but even Ethan hadn't looked that bothered by the scenario. She'd be working for Hayley, yes, but if there were more eggs or more experiments to be found, then she would need to come back here so that there was someone watching the camera. Fortunately, villainy tended to most attack during the day. Still, if Tommy wasn't here and Hayley was working, then she was on watch duty.

She was contemplating asking Tommy if she could take one of the extra bedrooms and pay rent to him considering how often she was over there anyway. She felt her happiness plummet a bit and realized that only a week in and she was in a rut. She was often at Tommy's house instead of her apartment, she was often on watch duty, and she was feeling like she was second fiddle to Tommy. She knew that he'd called this 'mission' because he'd helped to create the eggs, but it was still bothering her that she'd been left behind to watch the computers. She was supposed to be equal with him.

She pulled out her cell phone again and looked at it before dialing a familiar number. She patiently waited until she heard Jason on the other line. "Hello?"

"Hey Jason," she answered, not bothering to sound more upbeat. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," he answered and she could hear him set some things down. She heard the slight worry in his voice. "What's wrong?"

Kim quickly explained how she was feeling and Jason sighed. "I should have seen this one coming," he muttered. "Talk to him."

"What?" Kim asked, seeming surprised at the answer.

"Tell him how you're feeling. Even if you guys can't change the schedule, maybe you can find a way to make it where you feel more of a partner," he answered. "And you don't seem to be second in those teens' eyes. Tommy's their teacher, but I have the feeling you'll be something just as important to them. I know it's hard now, but you'll get through it."

"No wonder you were the first leader," she whispered, feeling a little better. "I'd forgotten how good you were at these pep talks. How's Trini?"

Jason didn't seem to mind the change in subject, but he still sighed a bit at the question. "Frustrated. You guys already have Rangers, Billy has nearly finished the morphers, but he's still in testing mode, and Trini has the morphers built along with everything else she could think of, but we can't find a power source."

"Poor Trini," Kim said knowing how annoyed Trini must be feeling. She'd explored quite a bit of the rainforests, regular forests, and various other wildlife, but she was still unable to find anything that would give out the power needed. "Tell her I'm sure she'll find it soon. Speaking of soon, when does she get back?"

"Tomorrow, fortunately, I'm hoping I can get her calm down," Jason answered. "Speaking of which, I've got to clean the house. Badly."

"I leave you alone for one week…" Kim said playfully, but she knew she should probably get going as well anyway. "Good luck, Jason."

"You too, Kim," Jason answered and with that, Kim was left alone in the room again. Still, soon enough it didn't matter as Tyrannodrones attacked Ethan and Tommy anyway. She sighed and called the other two quickly, feeling momentarily bad for interrupting their fun. Still, a Ranger had to do what a Ranger had to do regardless of anything else whether they were former or active Rangers.

"You could help, Kimberly!" Tommy snapped as he ducked again. Kim was staying way from the newborn, yet full-grown cyborg raptors as they tore apart the lab and tried to tear apart Tommy. "They're for our students!"

"Yes, but you didn't want my help before, remember?" She asked, watching everything calmly from her distant potion. They weren't bothering with her, so she was able to lean against the wall and just watch. "I believe you said 'Kim, I'm the paleontologist and I made them. Trust me, I can handle all three at once.' So, I'm letting you handle all three raptors, a pack dinosaur, at once instead of one at a time like I suggested after watching Jurassic Park two hundred times."

"Kim…" He growled, not in the mood for her attitude right then. "They're going to tear apart everything and… oh forget it! I'll handle it."

"Yes, well, I hope you'll handle our students too because they're coming up the secret way," she said pleasantly. He didn't answer as he ducked another blow and Kim took pity on him in that regard. She heard the door open and quickly called out. "Stay out there, guys. Tommy's dealing with some stuff. I'll be right there."

She ducked and covered her way across the dinosaur war zone and ended up on the other side. She smiled sweetly at Tommy who just glared at her as he looked around paranoid, waiting for another tail to smack him around like he was a tennis ball. "Kim…!"

"Happy training!" She called back to him and shut the door behind her. He'd be fine. She turned her attention to the three teenagers in front of her. "So, what's up?"

"Should you leave him in there?" Kira asked, a little nervous, and Kim shrugged.

"He said he could handle it. When we're done talking and he hasn't handled it, then I'll head back in and do it myself," she promised the younger girl who looked surprised but shrugged it off.

Connor looked at her. "You've got to find someone to replace me," he said to her. The other two immediately tried to interrupt, but Kim wouldn't have any of it and quickly quieted them. "I'm a soccer player. That's all I've ever wanted to do. Every moment of my life has led up to playing for a pro team and I get the greatest chance in my life and I blow it."

Kim just nodded as he talked and turned to the two others as he finished. "Guys, I'd like to talk to Connor alone. It'll take a while before we could replace him, so I promise you'll get your say later, but it's important that I talk to him first alone, alright? I'll beep you on your communicators when we're finished," she promised. Ethan and Kira looked at each other and looked at Kim whose face was unusually stern as she waited for them to go. They shrugged and sighed, heading out the passageway. Kim turned her attention to Connor, letting her face go back into a look of sympathy. "I understand exactly where you're coming from."

"How?" He asked, surprised that she wasn't angry with him.

"Remember when Tommy said that they practically had to push me out the door?" She asked and at his nod, she continued. "That was because I got an offer by a famous gymnastics coach to go to the Pan Global Games which was a huge honor. Only one thing held me back: I was a Ranger."

"Well, obviously you chose gymnastics," he reminded her and she nodded.

"Yes, but it was time for me to leave. I'd been doing it for so long that it was time for me to pass on the torch, but I did get something out of being a Ranger that I never thought I'd get," she told him. "Most of my experience came from the mixture of gymnastics and martial arts that I'd made my own in fighting. I'd gotten better, Connor, and was better than I probably would have been without the Rangers in my life. I was dedicated to doing a good job, more responsible, more vigilant in training, and more skilled."

"So, what you're saying is I should stick around because it will improve my game?" He asked and she paused.

"Not necessarily," she answered. "I can't make a decision like this for you. What I will say is you're a good player now and you may have been able to get on the team, but if you give this superhero stuff a chance, you may become a great player instead and be the better for it."

"You want me to stay, don't you?" Connor halfway accused and Kimberly smiled a bit.

"Of course I do. I want all three of you to stay. Like I said, I believe in all of you and I think you'll make fine Power Rangers, but I'll also understand if you don't want to do this. We'll find a way to get rid of the bond between you and the gem safely and give it to someone else, but I'd rather it be you," she told him. She paused, not sure how much she should push, but after a moment she decided to tell him how she was feeling as well. Perhaps it would help him to understand that it's not easy. "Earlier, I was thinking about giving up trying to be a mentor to all of you. After all, Tommy seemed to be doing fine and I didn't feel like I was contributing too much. Besides, I'd had a different life of coaching helping to run a gym before I came up, so I had to move my world. I was thinking that maybe it would be easier just to go back to my other life."

"So, why didn't you? I mean, you're doing great and all and… they're right. I don't know when to shut up," he said. Kim laughed.

"Well, that seems to be a Red Ranger trait, if it makes you feel better. You remind me of Rocky, the second Red Ranger, actually. Remind me later and I'll show you some footage of him. Tommy made a video." She smiled at him and then remembered the question. "And I didn't because I talked to an old friend of mine who reminded me that I was doing something even if it didn't feel like it."

"Like trying to talk me out of quitting?" He asked and she nodded. "Well, I think it's starting to work."

"Good, then I'm doing something right," she said smiling before her face became more serious. Since they'd gotten on a Red Ranger topic anyway, she decided to have the 'talk' with him. "Speaking of Red Rangers, by the way, whenever they get together, they tend to do very stupid things. I want you to listen to me, Connor," she said pausing until she felt his full attention on her. "If Tommy and a man named Jason try to convince you to go on any sort of 'Red Only' Mission, I want you to tell them that you can't go. Think of a reason, any reason. You're sick, you're dying, something, and make sure that you are not involved."

"Umm… okay. Why?" He looked completely confused, but his answer calmed her down a little.

"Because it's a stupid idea thought up by stupid men who think that they can do anything alone. You're only as good as your team, Connor," she pushed, trying to make sure at least one Red Ranger learned that and then shrugged. "Besides, Rangers tend to date other Rangers and last time they did this, there were a lot of upset female Rangers. I wasn't dating any of them, but I still nearly throttled Jason and Tommy. Rocky was smart enough to stay out of it. I'd hate to think of what we women Rangers would do if they tried it again and I don't want you caught in the middle like that boy last time… Cole I think his name was. Poor thing."

"So, it's a 'keep Connor from getting accidentally torn apart' kind of a thing," he asked and she nodded. "Okay, good plan."

"Remember, an excuse. Any excuse. I'm not about to lose my first Red to others' stupidity," she told him. He quickly nodded and her expression changed. She folded her arms and smiled before teasing. "I'm sure you'll come up with enough hair-brained ideas as it is. So, are you staying?"

"Yeah. I'm staying. I guess we should tell the guys, huh?" He asked and she nodded. Without having to be told, Connor tapped his communicator. "Okay guys, you can come back now." 

They both came out, not sure what to think about the situation. "So, are you ditching us?" Ethan asked.

"Nope. Figure I'll stay around for awhile," he answered. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Goody," she told him, but she was still smiling. The three waved good-bye to Kimberly, bantering the entire way up, and headed out the back way. Kim turned her attention to the door and sighed. Talking to Connor had helped her figure out some of her feelings too and while it wasn't her ideal job, she wasn't as ready to leave. She headed back into the lab, only to find that Tommy was hiding and the raptors were still tearing apart everything. She shrugged and walked in ready to stop the rampaging dinosaurs.

They looked at her. She looked at them, seeing their colors. She looked at the red one, knowing it would be the leader, and waited as it looked back at her. The raptors stayed as still as she did for a moment before the red one attacked. She was ready for it and with a few moves, she ended up on its back. It seemed surprised at her reaction, but immediately tried to throw her off. She threw her arms around its neck and clenched her legs together to stay on it. The other two raptors were trying to find a way to help, but through the wild fighting, they were hit around by the red one's tail. They stayed out of the way, after that, only snapping in her direction a bit. The red, on the other hand, fought her all the way as she knew it would before it collapsed on the floor, confused and unsure of what to do now. Tentatively, the other two came over looked at the red, just as confused as their pack's leader. Tommy had come out by now and looked at her.

"What did you do?" He asked in surprise.

"I showed him who was boss," she answered. "Didn't I, Boy?"

The red raptor pulled itself back up as she got off and the other two joined it. His tail wagged a bit and Kim smiled. "I don't think he'll give you anymore trouble."

"Kim, I owe you one," Tommy said tiredly. "Where did you come up with that idea?"

"Aisha," came the answer as she patted the red raptor's head. "And I improvised. Plus, you owe me two."

"Two?" He asked.

"Yep. We were nearly down a red leader," she answered. "Don't worry, I talked to him. It helped both of us out a bit."

"Hey, that doesn't count," he reminded her. "He's half your responsibility!"

Kim laughed and held her hands up in a mock surrender before Tommy broke down into laughter a moment later as he looked at the lab. Seeing the ruins it was in, the three formerly insane raptors chewing on something at their feet like giant dogs, and the rest of the day that had taken place, he began to laugh even harder which got encouraged her laughter. It took them a good five minutes to calm down enough to talk, let alone move. The raptors didn't help things when, as Tommy and Kim were on the ground from laughing so hard, the three cyborgs looked down at their faces and chirped a bit, curious. It had been a rough day, but at least it was getting better.

Tommy patted her shoulder as the rangers finished a job well done. The raptor riders had returned to the lab and the blue and yellow two were playing tug-a-war with a metal pipe while the red one was laying down in a way that only a robotic version of a raptor would be able to do with his legs parallel to his body and his arms under his body like a cat. His head was resting on Kim's lap as she smiled up at Tommy who looked relieved and proud. "They did it," he said.

"Yep." She looked a little worried as she looked at him. "Tommy, we need to talk."

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Since I came to Reefside, I've been spending quite a bit of time here rather than my apartment. I was thinking that it might be better if I moved into one of the spare bedrooms, if it's okay. I'll pay rent, but…" She started, but he stopped her.

"It doesn't make sense to pay for an apartment you don't use," he finished. "Don't worry about it, Kim. We'll get everything moved over in the next couple days, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, calming down as he had accepted her reasoning without too much question. He chuckled a bit and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She quickly accepted it and hugged back, the most physical contact they'd had in a long time. They pulled away and Kim immediately felt a nudge at her foot. "I think you made Red jealous, Tommy," she joked as the raptor looked up at her, happy when she patted his head again. Tommy frowned at that.

"I still don't see why they're staying in the lab," he muttered. "All of the other Biozords live outside."

"Simple. First, to guard the lab. How many times did the Command Center and Power Chamber get attacked? Lots of times and it had a security bit to it. Consider this our security," she said motioning toward the three raptors. "And, unlike the other Zords, they can fit through the tunnel so they can get to the Rangers just as quickly. They're better than guard dogs. Second, I want the company. It gets lonely here. We'll introduce them to Hayley and after that, they shouldn't let anyone else in."

"Fine," he gave in. "Anything else?"

"Yep!" She said happily, grinning even harder when he groaned. "I think it would be a good idea to invite Trini and Jason up. She's already feeling out of sorts because she can't find a power source and maybe we can help cheer her up. Maybe meeting Kira will help cheer her up. I also think it would be good for Connor and Kira to meet the original yellow and red. Plus, I think we should get a hold of Billy for Ethan."

"That makes sense," Tommy agreed, relieved that was all she wanted. "We better invite Zack too. We don't want him to feel left out."

"Works for me," she agreed, petting the red raptor on the head once more before he ran off to play with his brothers. "You ever have the feeling that things are just going to get weirder from this point on?"

Tommy nodded and looked at the time. "Damn it! Kira's performance! Kim, we're going to be late!"

They dashed out of the basement and to Tommy's jeep. It was only once they were in the jeep that Kim remembered why she hated letting him drive at they moved quickly down the streets, but she didn't complain. Instead, she hung on and made sure her buckle was working properly. He parked and looked at the time again, relaxing as they got out. "Well, we're a little late, but we should be able to see most of the performance."

"Good," Kim said. "I'd hate for her to think that we missed it on purpose or something stupid like that."

"I doubt she'd think that, Kim. She probably would have just thought we forgot it," he said.

"Isn't that worse?" She asked, but before he could answer, she bumped into an appearing Tyrannodrone. She quickly backed up and looked at Tommy as they realized they were surrounded. Tommy quickly started fighting while Kim got on to the communicator. She pressed on it, trying to reach Connor, who heard bits and pieces of "outside, 'drones, attack, help" before she was cut off. Just before they were forced through the invisaportal, she pushed a different button on her communicator, one that she had had Hayley set up especially for her since she knew Tommy would never push it.

Miles away, in Angel Grove, Jason's old communicator beeped. "What the hell…?"

**Author's Note**: The raptor riders seemed like the most animalistic of the various creatures to me and were also not shown to be controlled through the morphers like the Zords. Thus, they intrigued me and I wanted to play with them more. I'd been looking forward to this chapter and I hope I did it justice. Sorry about the cliffhanger, by the way, but it just seemed like a good place to end the chapter.

As always, I want to thank you for the reviews. Even though I always try to bring it up every chapter, that's because of how much I appreciate them. So, thanks, guys!


	5. New Meets Old

**Chapter Five: New Meets Old**

Connor motioned to Ethan that he was going outside before he dashed off at the other's confused nod. Having heard what little of Kim's message he could hear inside the building, he knew that anything he found or didn't find was going to be bad. He was glad he'd at least managed to make out that. Once outside, he saw nothing. Confused, he looked around and didn't even see a little semblance of a fight. Three thoughts crossed his mind: He'd heard the message wrong, maybe she meant they were attacked at the house, or they were ambushed. He continued to look around, but as his first assessment had already told him, she wasn't there. Neither Kim nor Dr. Oliver was around and that worried him. He headed back into the cafe and leaned over to Ethan. "We've got trouble. I'm going to go check the house. When she's done, grab Kira and meet me there, alright?" Connor whispered. Ethan shrugged, not really knowing what was going on other than it probably wasn't a good idea to let Connor run into trouble on his own.

"She'll be on break in a minute," Ethan whispered back. "We'll all go."

"Right. Uh... we need an excuse in case we don't come back..." Connor mentioned. They were keeping their voice low and occasionally glanced up and smiled supportively at Kira before they went back to whispering. While trying to look innocent and inconspicuous over it, they were making her a little nervous, though she solved the problem by ignoring them for the moment.

"Family emergency. That'll work, right?" Ethan suggested. Connor nodded. "Still, I'm voting that we sit down this weekend and come up with a list we can use."

"Right. I'll be outside, trying to contact Kim and Dr. O," Connor informed him before he gave another smile to Kira, which she didn't return, and rushed outside. He made sure no one was around and lifted the communicator to his mouth. "Kim? Kim, are you there? Kim? Dr. O? Come on, answer. Dr. O?"

There was no response which caused Connor's hope to plummet. He had guessed it wouldn't work, but he felt he needed to try anyway. He thought about just going without the other two anyway, but Kim's words of "You're only as good as your team" popped into his head and he went back to just waiting. Fortunately, Ethan and Kira were outside shortly afterward and looked at Connor.

"What's going on?" Kira asked, obviously annoyed, and Ethan looked at Connor intently. The Red Ranger motioned to his communicator.

"I got pieces of a message that Kim tried to send me which said they were under attack outside. I could barely hear her because it wasn't exactly quiet, but I got out some important information like they were in trouble. I didn't find them here and I can't reach them. I've been trying," he answered. "Look, whatever trouble they're in, they can't get out of it."

"Connor thinks we should check the house," Ethan added and Kira nodded.

"Let's go," she agreed and they piled into Connor's car. Once there, they were unfortunately not surprised to see that Dr. Oliver's black jeep was missing meaning their mentors probably weren't inside. Still, they all got out and headed into the house, which Tommy still left unlocked, and headed down to the basement to look around. A snap, hiss, and odd growling sound, caused Connor to jump back, falling into the others and knocking them over. The red attacker lunged at them but stopped when he saw who it was and Red's tail waved back and forth, in a friendly motion, a bit before he chirped something to the other raptors and they all laid back down. Kira shoved Connor off of her so that she could get off Ethan. "Jeez, Connor! It's just the Raptor Riders!"

"He just shocked me, okay? You try having a red blur heading for your throat" Connor snapped, trying to pick up what was left of his dignity. "Well, they're not here."

"Did we expect them to be?" Kira snapped back. Ethan ignored them and headed over to the computer, starting to look at the computer and figure out what to do.

"This usually has a camera, right? Maybe we can get it to work," Ethan suggested, wanting to do something. He began to look it over, trying to find out how to move the camera, which didn't take too long, and how to rewind the data, which was taking a while longer. Kira and Connor continued to try to reach their mentors through their communicators since they were able to do little else, though they had no more luck than before. They did stop when Ethan yelped and raced over.

"Are you okay?" Kira asked, checking on Ethan, but Connor gently tapped on her arm, pointing to the screen. Looking back at them was a Caucasian man about the same age as Dr. Oliver and Kimberly with sandy blond hair and blue unusual clothes. Kira didn't know too much about certain fashions, but she did know that she'd never seen anything like them before and she wasn't sure that they made clothes like that. She didn't know it, but Ethan had one upped her. He could tell that the material wasn't even made on earth. The man raised an eyebrow when he saw them, though they just stared at him, not knowing what to say. After a moment, the man seemed to have decided that it really wasn't his business and proceeded to discuss why he was calling.

"Salutations, are Kimberly Hart or Thomas Oliver in residence?" He asked calmly. They just shook their heads as he looked at all of them in turn. "May I inquire as to when they will return?"

"Uh, we don't know," Kira answered, not wanting to tell him that they were missing. They didn't know if this man was on their side or against them and while they weren't exactly sure where their mentors were, causing more trouble by telling a potential threat that they were gone could end up hurting Kim and Tommy as well as the three of them.

"Then Jason was accurate. The situation is critical," the man said. They just stared at him for a minute until Kira spoke up while Connor was pondering over the name Jason. He knew he'd heard that name and recently, but he wasn't sure where.

"Uh, we're busy. But when we see them, we'll have them call you," she said with a shrug, pretending like they were just out on errands. The man looked ready to interrupt when Connor's mind finally caught where he'd heard the name before.

"_If Tommy and a man named Jason try to convince you to go on any sort of 'Red Only' Mission..."_ Kim's voice reminded him. His eyes widened and he immediately looked at the screen.

"Wait, you know Jason?" Connor asked and at the man's nod, the teenager nodded. He might not be the brains, but he had an idea how to figure out if this guy was on the level. "What was his favorite color?"

The man chuckled as he figured out what the boy was after. "Red."

"So you know that he was..." Connor started and the man nodded once.

"Affirmative. A Power Ranger. First Red," he answered and he seemed to calm down as well, as if figuring out what was going on. "I assume that you are Connor, Ethan, and Kira?"

"How does he know who we are?" Kira whispered urgently. Ethan shrugged, though his face betrayed the worry that he shared with her. Connor, on the other hand, looked much calmer.

"He knows Jason, the first red Ranger. And he knows that Jason was a Power Ranger. We can trust him," Connor whispered excitedly.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked, less confident than the soccer player.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Connor answered. He turned back to the man on the screen, needing one more question answered. "Who are you?"

"Oh!" the man exclaimed, realizing he hadn't told them. He messed with his clothes a bit as if to look a little more dignified. "William Cranston. The original blue Ranger. Jason acquainted me with the particulars over deficient communication with Kimberly and Tommy when his communicator began to operate in a peculiar manner and he inquired as to if it was possible for me to contact the laboratory. It is necessary at this time that I inform him his instincts were functioning correctly, even if it is unfortunate. Thank you."

"Wait!" Ethan called out as the Billy went to hang up. The former blue Ranger fortunately stopped. "You're the first blue?"

"Affirmative. When this is this grievance is concluded, I will contact you and we shall have a discourse on the subject. Is that acceptable?" Billy asked, trying to be polite, but knowing he needed to call Jason at the same time. Ethan just nodded.

"Excellent. Farewell."

The face went black and the three teenagers were in the room, alone, once more. They stayed there for a minute before Kira moved. "They're not just going to come back," she said. The other two looked up at her, a little confused. "Kim and Dr. O, I mean."

Connor nodded. "So, we're going to save them."

"Us?" Ethan asked. "We've been Power Rangers for about a week! What do we know?"

"What they taught us," Connor answered. "They trust us."

"So, how come you're so confident now?" Kira asked. Connor shrugged.

"Kim," he answered. "She said I reminded her of a different red Ranger. That was so cool that I guess it helped me out."

"There was another one like you? And we're all still alive?" Kira asked sardonically. Ethan quickly put a hand on each of their shoulders, bringing them back to the matter at hand.

"Not now. We still have to save them. You guys can argue later. Let's see…" Ethan muttered as he began to look over the computer, continuing to try to rewind the data. "There must be a way to do this somehow."

"The button on the left," a voice said from the doorway. All three teens jumped and turned around to face it.

"Hayley?!"

Kimberly kicked and even bit the Tyrannodrones holding her while Tommy struggled against them, but none of them let the duo go. She hated to admit it, but she was getting worried over the whole thing. It wasn't like she hadn't been captured before, far from, nor was it that she didn't doubt Connor, Ethan, and Kira would win, but she was no longer a Power Ranger as she had been during more of her kidnappings and the teens were still new unlike when Tommy and the Zeo Rangers rescues Jason and her. They didn't have much experience in this field. Worse, both Tommy and she were taken which meant that they were down both their mentors who might have been able to help them with this problem. She could only hope that both Jason and Connor had gotten their respective messages and understood enough to do something because otherwise, Tommy and she were going to die a probable painful and horrible death. These thoughts caused her to fight back harder as they were dragged down the hall.

Unfortunately, they reached the destination before either adult could escape. If she had been a normal woman, she might have screamed or fainted when she saw Mesagog and if she was younger, she might have given an indication of disgust, but she was experienced enough to keep her tongue silent right this moment. So far, Tommy had done the same. Whether or not they still had powers, the two were still former rangers who had years of training and experience which might help keep them alive for now. "The prisoners, Milord."

"Finally. Tie him to the life extractor. Tie her to the back wall," Mesagog instructed. Even as they were tied down, they continued struggling. Neither called out to the other, not wanting to give away how close they had been nor even were now. If they could feign a business relationship, it actually might cause them less pain in the future than if they gave away being Rangers at the same time or worse that they had actually been in love. Mesagog would surely try to use information like that to his advantage. She'd been unable to hear the first part of the conversation too clearly due to her own struggles, but she'd caught a few words about a crystal, Tommy, and needing his help to open it. She had the feeling that Mesagog needed one of their two's help and wasn't too picky on who handed it over.

"Sorry, can't help you there. I'm just a high school science teacher," Tommy informed him. Kim tried not to laugh at that, absurd as of a comment as it was since Mesagog had existed before he started teaching. She wasn't shocked, nor was Tommy, when Mesagog didn't buy it. Still, her eyes went wide and her struggles were renewed when she heard the term "life extractor" come out of the mutant's mouth in reference to Tommy. Some phrases just don't need explanations for someone to get the gist.

Red was hissing and chirping in a very unpleasant way toward Hayley. His tail moved around like a whip and he chirped into the air a specific way causing Blue and Yellow to join him. All three cyborg raptors looked ready to pounce as they had before they figured out exactly who was coming down the stairs and backed off when they had realized that it was the Rangers. The problem this time was that Hayley hadn't been introduced so she wasn't safe to be in here according to the raptors. Quickly pulling themselves out of their shock before the raptors could strike, all three rangers quickly raced over to their specific color and calmed it down, insisting Hayley was a friend. Blue and Yellow calmed down quickly enough and after a moment, Red finally joined them. Hayley came down into the lab slowly, making sure that the raptors had given up. After a minute, she seemed satisfied and looked at the three teens. "Do you three want to tell me exactly what is going on?"

Ethan looked surprised at her question. "Don't you already know?"

"All I know is Jason called me and let me know that something was wrong and Billy couldn't find Kim or Tommy, but his old communicator was acting up. Considering I built the new communicators, as well as the button that set the old communicator off, I was able to tell that Kim was in trouble and probably Tommy too considering they were supposed to be together," she answered.

"We don't know too much more than that," Connor told her. "I got that they were ambushed though."

"Alright. Assuming he doesn't get pulled over, Jason will be here within the hour, I'd say. Probably sooner," she muttered as she sat down and began to work with Ethan at the computer. "So, he'll be able to help."

"Exactly how do you know all of this?" Kira asked, curious but less suspicious than she had been at Mr. Cranston.

"Are you a former Power Ranger too?" Connor added, sounding hopeful. Worried as he was, the idea of meeting former Rangers was exciting to him and he wanted to meet as many as possible.

"Nope," she answered. "I've been helping Tommy and Kim prepare everything since grad school. I put two and two together on who they were and they asked for my help. Who do you think built the lab? Kim managed to blow up a computer in high school and Tommy's first three tries on the morphers melted, fell apart, and short circuited. They're good at the things they do, but technology ain't one of them."

She pressed a couple more buttons and they had the answer they wanted on what had happened. The replay showed the fight as well as Kim's pleas into the communicator. Ethan leaned in to see what she was doing while the other two flanked him trying to watch and listen. They quickly put together a plan of finding an invisaportal since that was how Mesagog had gotten Kim and Tommy as well as how he had gotten Kira when they first got their powers. Hayley insisted she could find one and started to search the city for one while the teenagers waited impatiently. Their wait was interrupted when the raptors went off again. Hayley laughed. "I'm starting to see why Kim thought it would be a good idea to have them in the lab."

"Well, I don't. Would someone call them off?" A gruff male voice called out. At Hayley's nod, the three teens quickly calmed down the raptors, again, and allowed for the two new people to come down into the supposedly hidden lab.

Easily the same age as their science teacher, a man and a woman entered through the door, both wearing worried expressions on their faces, though the man still looked a little annoyed in the direction of the raptor riders. The woman, an Asian American, headed over to where Hayley was and the two women embraced. "Do you know where they are yet, Hayley?"

"Not yet. I'm working on it, Trini. Hi Jason." The Caucasian man nodded a greeting in return, his attention had gone from the raptors to being focused solely upon the three teenagers in front of him: the keys to getting his old friends back. Jason tended to be critical when looking over new Rangers, far more than Tommy's usual flippant attitude over the entire thing. Often until they passed a sort of Ranger test, he considered them to be rookies and until they passed it, that's what they would remain. He hadn't met a Ranger who hadn't passed, however, and he didn't expect now to be any different. After all, Rangers weren't just chosen for no reason at all. It took a certain something to make a Ranger.

"I'm Jason Lee Scott and this is Trini Kwan," he said, introducing himself. He looked at them and pointed to them, correctly, in turn as he said their names figuring he'd get the pleasantries out of the way as soon as possible. "Kira Ford, Yellow Ranger; Connor McKnight, Red Ranger; Ethan James, Blue Ranger. I was Red and Trini was Yellow."

"Wow." Connor's one word seemed to sum up the situation for all three of them. Trini offered them a smile as she joined Jason, leaning him to him as the teens tried to figure out what to say. "So, uh, why are you guys here?"

"Hayley is good at what she does, but she wasn't a Ranger. With Kim and Tommy missing, we're going to be your temporary mentors," Jason informed them and while all three were worried, Connor actually winced. This man seemed so much more strict than their own mentors and they barely knew him. "So, why don't you show me everything you've learned already."

The three looked at each other and back at the first Red Ranger as he looked at them and stood ready. Somehow, they had the feeling that they were going to want Hayley to find a portal even sooner only this time for their own safety or at least the remaining shreds of their dignity.

Both Tommy and Kim were exhausted from fighting against their bonds and Kim could definitely say that is had been a very bad day. She was also tired of keeping quiet and she could tell that Tommy was even more tired of it considering he was getting most of the mutant's company. Mesagog was still working on Tommy, which meant that she was only in interrogation instead of life in peril on the list of villain's priorities in torture. "I do not care who gives me the answer, but one of you will," Mesagog hissed. Kim's attention turned to him and she had the feeling that Tommy's did as well. "If you don't, then you will suffer."

Kim looked up at him. "Well, at least the rest of my day will seem better then," she said pleasantly. She heard Tommy chuckle over the comment and she gave their dinosaur captor a smirk.

"I've got to agree," Tommy added. "Besides, we've been through worse."

"Oh yeah," Kim agreed. "Much worse. In fact, tell you what. We'll wait here while you guys go think of more clever responses and newer fear tactics."

Mesagog shoved the table with the rock in Tommy's direction, letting it land at his feet. He didn't seem outwardly annoyed with them other than that gesture which was much creepier than Goldar's temper tantrums or taunts. She hated to admit it, but she was actually missing that monkey. Still, Kim had complete confidence in her former leader and current partner not to truly give in, so she instead took comfort in the fact that they were getting under the creature's skin. She knew that Tommy did too when she heard him keep talking to her. "You okay, Kim?"

"Well, you know that they say being bound to a wall is certainly a new experience. Can't have enough of those! How about you?" She asked, just enjoying hearing his voice.

"Well, at least this life extractor will make sure that I don't have to worry about getting old. That's a plus," he answered in a joyful tone. She could feel it fade just from being around him so long, even though he kept up the mask.

Mesagog looked at Tommy with new interest. "I wonder if you would be more willing to help if she was tied there."

Tommy shrugged. "Probably not," he answered, surprised that his answer was truthful. Before, when they were Rangers, they'd handed over morphers and other objects to save each other, but he was willing to sacrifice her if it meant saving the world now. The feeling was new and not all together pleasant, but he had the feeling Kim felt the same way. She certainly wasn't swearing at him at this point, so she couldn't have been that upset.

"Before you ask me, Lizard Breath, I'll sacrifice him too," he heard her snap in agreement. He nodded to himself and realized that part of it was knowing that there was a willingness from each of them to die for the cause. They'd accepted a fate like this a long time ago and they realized that sometimes you had to be a martyr. He also had the feeling that Jason, Trini, Zack, and Billy would feel the same way if they were in his shoes.

Mesagog, understandably, looked surprised by this having expected a different answer. "Very well," he finally said. "Elsa, bring the woman here. We shall test their words."

Tommy's heart beat a little quicker as he heard Kim protest and fight against the woman. To his amusement, he also heard Elsa yell in pain meaning that Kim wasn't going down without a fight. Without being able to see what was going on clearly, he wasn't able to see what was going on, but at the very least, Kimberly was stalling for time and that was all they had right now.

The teenagers were sitting down by this point, having some new bumps and bruises, though they'd managed to give Jason some as well. While he had mostly sparred with them, he hadn't gone easy on them. He hadn't tried to hurt them, but when they messed up, they'd felt it. Now, they were just resting and waiting for news. Jason wanted to make sure they were able to fight, not tire them out.

Hayley was working closely with the computer while Trini was handing them some water and fruit with a smile on her face before she sat down next to Jason across from them. The former red Ranger looked pleased enough and was carefully drinking some water and eating some fruit as well. He looked at the teenagers. "You all did fine," he told them, causing them to smile a bit, as they ate. When the first leader gave you a compliment, it really meant something.

"Got it!" Hayley called out before anyone else could say anything. They all raced to their feet and ran over to the screen to see where the portal was. The three new Rangers started to head toward the exit, ready to go when Hayley called out, "You'll need to reach 536 miles per hour on entry or you'll never get past the security wall and probably will get ripped to pieces."

They stopped and looked at her incredulously while Jason chuckled and Trini tried not to laugh. After dealing with Zordon for so many years, they'd learned to deal with after the fact information. "You probably should have mentioned that first," Trini whispered and Hayley just shrugged.

"I will next time. Never fear, I have something for just such an occasion," she stated and opened the hidden door to reveal the Raptor Cycles. "These are the Raptor Cycles. They can get you to the portal coordinates in 92.75 seconds."

Trini looked them over and nodded. "So, these are what Kim and you got into trouble for trying out?"

Jason laughed when Hayley nodded. "He called me, you know," he mentioned. "Started ranting about how the two of you were driving around town on untested vehicles that could have blown up without even letting him know. It took me fifteen minutes to calm him down."

Hayley snickered as Trini laughed and the latter looked at the teens. "As I recall, you have to use the gems in order to access the hyperdrive and that will get you through the portal, right?" She asked Hayley.

"Right. That will take you to the island fortress and then the rest is up to you guys," she finished.

"Island fortress? Like, surrounded by water?" Connor asked, his expression changing minorly.

"That's how islands usually are, Connor," Hayley answered a bit annoyed. Ethan, however, immediately started laughing.

"You can't swim!" He exclaimed and Connor tried to collect his dignity.

"I didn't say that!" He snapped.

"But it's true," Ethan pushed, smirking. "You can't."

"The portal will take you directly to the island," Hayley informed them before it became a full-out argument. "You'll never have to get wet."

Connor nodded and looked at Jason and Trini. "Are you guys coming?"

The two former rangers felt their smiles fade and they looked at each other before sighing. "We can't," Trini explained. "We're former Rangers and while Kim and Tommy have been around at times to help you out in small ways, we're just the mentors. We'd never make it through the portal alive."

"Even if we could, we probably wouldn't," Jason added. "Consider this to be a test over whether or not you have what it takes to be Rangers."

Connor looked the former Ranger straight in the eyes, remembering Kim's word to him: "_I believe in all of you and I think you'll make fine Power Rangers". _He pulled himself to his full height.

"I already know we have what it takes and when we save them, I'll ask her to tell you that to your face. We don't need a stupid test and we don't need to prove it to you!" he snapped and nodded to the other two to join him. Ethan and Kira had stayed quiet and happily followed Connor to get out of the room after that display. They jumped on the Raptor Cycles and raced out the door, Connor angrily leading the way.

"What was that all about?" Hayley asked incredulously, looking at Jason. She was rather surprised by his attitude considering that Jason was one of the sweetest people she knew. Jason smiled. Trini glanced at him, knowing her friend better than Hayley and sighed.

"That was mean, Jason," she informed him.

"Someone needed to do it and I was the best choice. They needed to believe that they could do this," he said calmly.

Hayley looked between them and laughed when she figured out what he'd done. There was truly two ways the teens could have handled Jason and Trini being there: worrying over whether or not they were as good as the older rangers, or showing that they were just as good. With Jason's slight taunt, he'd pushed them into the latter category. She was sure that he'd probably apologize to the three or try to make it up to them in some way so that he wasn't permanently labeled the bad guy. All the Rangers and Hayley knew that Jason would have rather been like a relaxed uncle than a stern jackass, but someone had needed to push them. Hayley patted the former red Ranger on the back. "I don't want to be you when Kim gets home."

Jason winced a bit. "Neither do I."

Kim picked herself up off the floor again, though her lip was bleeding and she was pretty sure that Elsa had managed to bruise a couple of her ribs. She was definitely bleeding from cuts and aching from bruises, but nothing seemed like it was going to kill her yet and this stalling by fending off Elsa was the best chance they had to make it through this, or at least helping Tommy make it through this. She was getting older and she didn't have any sort of supernatural protection anymore so she didn't know exactly how much of a beating she could take before it killed her. At this point, she was just hoping that the teens wouldn't be coming for a couple of corpses instead of their mentors. Unlike her companion, she had no doubt that they were coming while she had the feeling that Tommy was hoping that they'd stay away until they were more prepared. Then again, he didn't know that Jason had been called so she definitely had the advantage there.

Elsa kicked her backwards in what would have been the stomach, but the former pink Ranger's leg took the blow and she fell to the ground in pain. Elsa walked straight over and yanked her up by the hair and threw her across the room before Mesagog spoke up. "Enough, Elsa," he said. "Detain her."

Elsa headed over and dragged the tired, struggling woman back with her and stood with her beside Mesagog. Kim smiled a bit at Tommy who tried to smile back at her. "Well, Tommy, this has been a lovely vacation, but next time, I get to lay on the slab and you can take the beating."

"Deal, Beautiful," he jokingly promised, barely even noticing the older nickname for her. Both adults had been through too much right now to notice such things.

"Your attempts at levity are as feeble as your attempts at self-sacrifice," Mesagog told them. "If you will not do it for yourselves or each other, perhaps you will for your precious students."

Tommy's struggles were fully renewed and Kim ignored her injuries as she tried to break away from Elsa. Worry was plainly shown on both their faces at this point as they tried to break away and adrenaline poured back through their bodies to help quell the pain so that they could escape. When their own lives were in danger, they hadn't felt as nervous since they knew that it could happen, but their students were another story. They didn't quite realize that sometimes the good guys don't make and they didn't know that sacrifice was a possible solution. Besides, as the adults, they were supposed to protect the children. Mesagog looked at Elsa. "Elsa, the three teenagers, bring them to me. Give Ms. Hart to Zeltrax and go."

"Yes, Milord," she said and did as he commanded. Kim was biting and kicking again, but it seemed to have little reaction on the creature holding her who seemed to ignore the woman's attempts. Tommy, on the other hand, was struggling with a new conviction as he tried to escape when there was noise hitting the room. Neither adult needed to hear what was going on since they already knew. The Dino Thunder Rangers were on their way… straight into a trap.

**The lab was quiet as the three adults waited patiently. They could see the teens, but it was more difficult to hear what was going on so they really only had a slight idea of what was going on. Blue and Yellow played tug-a-war with a piece of metal, occasionally dropping it to snap at each other, while Red was standing perfectly still, staring at the door the trio had exited out of. He'd noticed that they tended to enter through that door when they exited out of it. His tail didn't even move. Jason and Trini were flanking Hayley who was trying to help the three do what they needed to do. Finally, the battle was over and the trio raced through the portal. "Alright, Hayley. We're in."**

**The three quietly cheered and Hayley nodded, even though the Rangers couldn't see it. "I'll reset the timer for the return. You have five minutes."**

**They didn't protest, but instead ran to do it. Hayley turned to the other two. "If I gave any more time than that, the cycles might not be ready to go when they are," she explained. The other two nodded. Then, they went back to playing the waiting game. Only time would release the outcome.**

**"They'll be fine, Kim," Tommy half-heartedly promised. While he was still tied down, she was now connected to the wall once again as the room had been cleared out. Only they were left inside. Kim didn't answer as she didn't want to get her hopes completely up and her mind was scrambling to create a plan if the trio were caught. There were so many that she wasn't sure if the original six would have an easy time handling the problem. Plus, they had Kim and Tommy to think about and that was always a distraction. Thus, when the door reopened, both adults felt a wave of fear crash over their bodies before being quelled by relief at seeing the three race in instead of being dragged. The three quickly untied the three of them and did as Tommy commanded by hitting the button to shut the doors. He began to reconfigure the invisaportal while Kim concentrated on the three teens.**

**"Are you three alright?" She asked, worried and checking them over. They all quickly said they were, a little embarrassed, and Connor even scoffed.**

**"No offense, but I think we should be asking you that," he mentioned, pointing to her lip.**

**"I'm fine, we're both fine," she promised and Tommy just shook his head as he worked.**

**"I should have known you'd try to rescue us," he said and Kim shot him a look that he didn't have to see to feel.**

**"He means thank you. Now let's go," she said, but the door opened. Kim and Tommy both got out of the way as the Rangers morphed and fought. As soon as they were able, Kim pointed them in the direction of the portal. "Let's go!"**

**"You three go. Kim and I need to grab something first," Tommy called out. They started to protest, but Kim pointed at the portal with a no nonsense look on her face. They quickly obeyed. She grabbed the crystal and tossed it to Tommy.**

**"It better be damned important," she snapped. He smiled at her.**

**"It is," he answered and they jumped through the portal, catching up with the other three. Tommy looked at them. "Go! We're right behind you."**

**The cycles screeched a bit in protest as they were shoved back through the portal. Tommy motioned and Kim went through next, landing undignified on the other side. She wasn't used to traveling by invisaportals yet and she was tired and aching on top of it. Elsa was a lot stronger than she looked. Tommy landed next to her with a better landing. The five, back together, were interrupted as the portal opened a fourth time and Kim groaned. She picked herself back up and stood beside Tommy.**

**Yet, when Zeltrax shot his staff at them, she did the sensible thing and jumped to the ground so that the power would go over her. Tommy, instead, used the crystal as a shield. Within seconds, the crystal had exploded and Kim, pained or not, was back on her feet. "Tommy!" She screeched.**

**"Doctor Oliver!" Ethan called out and Connor stood there stunned. One of their mentors, who they had just finished rescuing, who cared about them, had just exploded.**

**"No!" Kira added, falling to her knees. "This can't be happening!"**

**"Such negativity," Elsa sneered. "Don't you know in our world, anything is possible?"**

**"Even the destruction of the great Doctor Tommy Oliver," Zeltrax added. Kim was furious and she didn't even feel pain anymore, only uncontrolled fury.**

**"I'll destroy you!" She growled, running toward Zeltrax, but she was stopped before she'd gone to far. She looked to her side, ready to snap at whichever teenager had grabbed her, but she saw nothing. Within a few seconds, fury turned to shock as Tommy reappeared. He looked straight at Zeltrax.**

**"You're lucky. She's a little wildcat when she gets like this. Would have torn you limb from limb," he said confidently. The other three were on their feet, congratulating Tommy while Kim was doing her best not to faint. She never fainted when she wasn't around him, but somehow he managed to push that button whenever he came near here. Or, possibly, it was because he always managed to shock her. Still, she didn't have the luxury of giving into it this time.**

**"He called you great. You're going to be hell to live with now. That's reason enough to kill him," she joked.**

**"I just think he missed me," Tommy answered and held out the stone. No one needed to ask what it did since Tommy's disappearing act already showed them. Kim's smile faded a bit, but Tommy's increased as he looked at the villains in front of them.**

**"That gem belongs to my master!" Elsa yelled.**

**"There's two things you need to know about dino gems. One, you don't choose them, they choose you," he called out.**

**"And the other?" Elsa asked and Kim looked at Tommy as his wrist communicator became a morpher. She closed her eyes for a second, pained, before reopening them.**

**"They go real well with dino morphers.**

Dino Thunder! Power Up!" Tommy finished. All four of them stood in front of Kim and began to fight. Kim quickly found a safe place to hide while she watched, not to mention dealt with her feelings over the matter. She had come to three conclusions so far.

First, was that there was a fourth gem which had made Tommy a Power Ranger. While annoyed that he was a Ranger again instead of just a mentor like herself, it didn't upset her that much. Things like this happened, after all. The final two conclusions did hurt her however. The second conclusion was that Tommy had known about the gem and hadn't told her and the third was that Hayley knew about it. While Hayley obviously knew, Kim didn't feel as betrayed with her because she had the feeling that Tommy made her promise not to tell and since she had been Tommy's friend first, it was natural that she had more loyalty toward him. Tommy, on the other hand, hadn't told her about this at all and it couldn't have slipped his mind, faulty as it often was. She didn't know why he hadn't told her, but he hadn't and since they were partners that hurt a lot.

She stayed hidden and out of the way as the Rangers called out the Zords and finished the battle. The other four powered down, congratulating each other and coming back toward Kim. Tommy's smile faded when he saw her face, but he knew better than to bring it up in front of the students if he wanted her keep her promise of not yelling at him in front of them. Kim forced back her hurt feelings and pretended like everything was alright, quickly congratulating them and pushing to head back to the house. Besides for just wanting to get back, she was still in a lot of pain and wanted to sit down.

"Kim's right. We should get back and show the others. Kira, why don't you take Dr. O on your cycle. I'll take Kim," Connor suggested, having noticed that their female mentor had been a little upset. Maybe she'd talk about it. Ethan snickered.

"Isn't she a little old for you?" He teased.

"Dude, cool it," Connor's response came with a bit more of a command. "Tease me later, okay?"

Sensing that something was seriously wrong, the other two quickly agreed and they headed home. Connor was wracking his brain to try to figure out what was wrong, but he had figured out that Dr. O was to blame since she didn't look that upset until he morphed. He was a little disappointed that she didn't say anything since he wanted to help her like she helped him, but he had also seen the pain she was in and figured that maybe it had to do with that. The teen led the way back into the lab and parked the bike, letting Kim off before he demorphed and followed her off. Red nearly tackled them both, stopped when Connor order him to.

The other residents were following the raptor's example and racing over to the five of them. Trini's face had moved from complete worry to complete relief and was heading into excitement while Jason was more relaxed at seeing that his old friends and near siblings were alright. He also did a quick count to make sure that all three teens had made it back before physically preparing himself so that the tiny woman wouldn't knock him over. It was always embarrassing when she did that. Hayley was grabbing a first aid kit and patiently waited.

"Trini? Jason?" Kim exclaimed and enveloped both of them into a hug. Tommy joined their side and gave his own welcomes to the other former Rangers and they began to talk about what had happened. Ethan and Kira were laughing and watching, but Connor stood there, arms folded, behind Kim. Jason sighed when he saw the boy and he had to admit that maybe he'd gone a bit too hard on him. Kim looked to see where her friend was looking and saw how angry her student was. "Connor? What's wrong?"

"Tell him we're worth it. Tell him you believe in us," he stated. His expression was stern and angry, but Kim was practiced enough to see that obviously something had happened to make him worried about it. She looked at her old friend and not in the previously welcoming manner.

"What did you say to him?" She demanded, before turning to Connor to do some damage control. "Of course you're all wonderful Rangers and we believe in you. Now, Jason, what did you tell him?"

Jason muttered what he'd said and Tommy groaned. "We leave you alone with them for a day and you're already destroying their self-confidence?"

"I wasn't trying to destroy their self-confidence, I was trying to build it," he protested. "Make them less worried about screwing up. Besides, I wanted to be the Uncle Ranger, not Mister Disciplinarian. You're the one who forced me into that role by getting caught!"

"So, you're blaming the whole thing on me. Kim got caught too," Tommy argued.

"Kim wasn't a Ranger as long or a leader. No, it was your fault… Ow! Kim!" Jason said, interrupted when the former pink Ranger smacked him upside the head. Trini laughed.

"You deserved that, Jason," she said, her voice gentle, but there was still a tone of reprimand there. "Besides, now you can be to the how you wanted to be in the first place."

Jason nodded and Kim turned to Hayley who put her hands up. "Tommy made me promise," were the first words out of her mouth to everyone but Kim and Tommy's confusion. Kim gave her a bit of a smile.

"I know. Why don't you take Trini, Jason, Kira, Ethan, and Connor to the café and Tommy and I will meet you there. We need to talk about some stuff quickly since everything has changed," she said pleasantly. Hayley nodded, not wanting to be there, and started ushering them out. Connor wouldn't budge.

"No," he said. "I'm not leaving."

Red was next to him, not sure what was going on but that it was important, and Connor's hand was on the cyborg's side since most of the others wouldn't chance getting attacked by Red. Kim recognized the determination and stubbornness in the boy's eyes and motioned for Hayley to go. Kim would try to persuade him. "Connor," she started but he cut her off.

"Are you going to leave?" He asked and she looked surprised.

"What?" Both adults asked and Connor looked completely serious.

"I figured it out, why you're upset. I might not be as smart as Ethan or as observant as Kira, but I still figured it out. He morphed and you were shocked. You shouldn't have been shocked since you guys work together. So, I though maybe it was because he became a Ranger and that would make sense for being annoyed or angry, but not upset. You were surprised by the morpher, not his becoming a Ranger which means that Dr. O didn't tell you about the gem and he knew about it," Connor said casually. Both looked a little surprised over his revelation, true as it was, and Connor used that time to finish. "You said earlier that you felt like you weren't helping much and that you were in the way or something like that. So, you were thinking about leaving, but after we talked, you weren't. Things changed. So, now are you going to?"

Kim recovered slightly quicker than Tommy and shook her head. "No, I'm not going to leave," she promised. "You need a regular mentor too, not just one that's going to be fighting beside you. Besides, what kind of a role model would I be if I left after convincing you to stay?"

"A crappy one," Connor answered, though he seemed to be less worried about it. A small smile was creeping up through his stubborn features.

"Tommy and I need to talk now, alone, about… Oh screw it. I promised not to yell at him in front of you guys, so I need you to go to the café, alright?" She said, ignoring Tommy's glare.

"Yeah, okay. Let him have it," Connor answered, in a much better mood. He raced out the door pretty quickly to Kim's amusement. They hadn't known each other that long, but she was feeling sort of bonded to the kid. Perhaps it was everything they had in common. They both were from the more popular groups, they both had a good heart, they both had a goal to do something with a sport, and that heart to heart hadn't hurt anything either. It made sense. Kira was more like Tommy in some ways, aloof, happy enough alone, stubborn, and their personalities just worked well together. Ethan was so much like Hayley in wasn't really funny. They might be able to teach him to fight better, but like Billy before him, he'd be able to help in the computer area as well. It never hurt to have two geniuses working on something instead of just one. It was bound to happen and was actually beneficial for all parties, sort of like the difference between just having classes and the addition of a tutor. That said, she needed to chew out a certain tutor who had decided to revert back to the student.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, trying to keep her voice level. "We're partners, Tommy. Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed, not sure how to answer this and definitely not wanting to. After a few seconds, he decided on the truth. "I didn't want you to know."

"Oh. Is that it?" She said, now even more hurt.

"Well, we'd just found the signature, so I had Hayley make me a morpher just in case. You and I both mentioned that three Rangers aren't a lot, right, so it would have been handy to have another. I just didn't want you to get your hopes up." His face was completely sincere and he did look ashamed, which was helping in the forgiveness category.

"So, you didn't tell me because you didn't want me to get let down?" She asked and at his nod, she groaned. "Tommy, we're partners. I'm not one of the kids, I'm an adult and you need to tell me these things, dammit!"

"I'm sorry," he told her, sounding as sincere as he could. "You're right. I should have told you."

"Just do it next time. And Tommy, a Power Ranger? Again?" She asked.

"It wasn't my fault! It just bonded. I had every intention of the two of us finding a nice teen to take it. I swear," he promised, putting his hands up in surrender.

"So, how are we going to work this now?" She asked, dropping the subject. Tommy took it as that meant she was in the first stages of forgiving him. Still, he didn't quite know what she meant.

"What do you mean?" He asked. She looked annoyed with the question.

"You, Tommy, are supposed to just be a mentor. That means standing back and letting the next generation fight these battles. I know, it was an accident, but you're still in the fight now and that's what worries me. If you were Zack or Billy, I probably wouldn't be as worried, but…" She began, but Tommy cut her off.

"And what do you mean by that?" He challenged her.

"Face it, Tommy, you have a bad habit of needing to be in control. Point in case with not telling me about the gems. Jason would too, so you're not alone, but that doesn't mean that if I leave you unchecked on this, our red Ranger will eventually be second in command. It's their turn, not ours," she answered.

"I am not…"

"Yes, Tommy, you are that bad. I'm not asking you to stay out of the fighting, but I am asking you to work with me to make sure you don't take over," she asked. Tommy's slightly angered expression faded and he nodded. After a moment, they shook hands over it and Tommy pulled her into a fierce, yet as gentle as possible hug. The subject soon changed.

"You had me worried there, Beautiful," he whispered to her. "I could hear you, but I could also hear that Elsa was wiping the floor with you."

"I'm okay. Hayley cleaned me up a bit and I don't think anything is broken," she answered back. "And I got Elsa a few times too. Besides, you gave me quite a scare too, being tied down in front of something that had life and extractor in the title."

They stayed there for a moment, just holding each other, before Kim finally broke away. Tommy followed in suit, the moment over and reached around to help her up the stairs. Red hissed a bit at Tommy, not surprising considering how angry Kim had been a moment ago. "Kim, what is it with you and the color red lately?"

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently, which told Tommy she knew exactly what he was talking about. Red wasn't exactly quiet.

"First Red and now Connor," Tommy answered.

"Well, I beat Red, so I think it's because of that. Red, stop!" She ordered and the raptor immediately backed down, heading back into the lab, but keeping an eye on the leaving couple. "And Connor and I bonded. We helped each other and I guess it just stuck. I have the feeling that you'll get that way with Kira and Hayley already is with Ethan."

"Why Kira?" He asked and Kim laughed.

"Because she's like you," came the answer. "Now come on, they'll think I killed you."

"Tommy, Bro, are you ever planning to retire?" Jason asked a little while later. Trini and Kim giggled. "I retired, Trini retired. Even Kim retired. She doesn't have a gem."

"I'm hoping this will be my last stint in uniform," Tommy said with a laugh. "Then again, I also hoped to stop at red."

Jason snickered and shook his head. The teens were smiling, but paying attention to watch was going on. They were thrilled that they were getting help from Tommy, but they weren't sure what it meant for the team. With the café emptying out, Connor asked the question that all three teens had. "So, now what?"

All five adults, Hayley included, looked over their way. Tommy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Connor looked uncomfortable, but he had to know. "Am I still the leader?" He asked. Tommy winced as he realized that Kim wasn't the only one having to deal with his impromptu bonding of the black gem.

"Yes, Connor. You're still the leader," Tommy answered. He didn't have to ask, he knew that if the gem had gone to someone their own age, Connor wouldn't have asked or worried about it. He felt a sense of guilt trickling up and promised himself to pay attention if Kim accused him of taking over.

Kim nodded. "All this means, is that Tommy is going to be fighting beside you and if he thinks you need advice, he'll give it. For instance, by telling you of a weak spot or giving you an idea based on experience you don't have. Just as I do from the lab. We realize that Tommy might not notice that he's in a leader role at times and I'll try to make sure he doesn't take over, but this isn't our time. It's your time. We're just around to help."

Tommy nodded in agreement and took what Kim said earlier to heart. He knew she was right and while mentoring them in a group had its merits, adding in a personal touch was also important. They might as well make it official. "The three of you are different with various strengths and weaknesses. That's fine, but we think it might be beneficial for you guys to have two sets of training: group and individual that way we can work with you separately and as a team."

Jason and Trini both looked surprised about this while Hayley's look betrayed that she saw it coming. This had never been done before, but they hadn't had the resources to do it before either. With times changing, methods needed to change as well. Kim and Tommy glanced over at their old friends who gave quick nods of approval before they turned back to the team.

"So, who gets who?" Connor asked. Ethan shrugged.

"My guess? I'll get Hayley, you'll get Dr. O, and Kira will get Kim," the genius said, but his confident expression changed when Kim shook her head.

"Close, Ethan, but Tommy is going to work with Kira and I'm going to work with Connor," she told them. "We'll see if I can't help him lose some of that cocky attitude."

"Gee, thanks," Connor said sarcastically, though he was smiling. Kira smiled too. It wasn't that she didn't like Kim, but whether they realized it or not, they had had different pulls to their various mentors and other than being a girl, Kira wasn't quite sure what the two women had in common besides, it might make it easy for her to go to Kim with problems.

The rest of the day was spent drinking smoothies and relaxing. They felt like they'd earned it.

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the reviews! I'm not really sure what to say about this chapter, so I'll just probably leave it at that. Thanks again for reviewing!


	6. Cupid Rangers

**Chapter Six: Cupid Rangers**

"I'm telling you guys! We're getting even more homework since this whole thing started! More and more!" Ethan complained as he threw his pencil down on the table in frustration. Conner nodded in agreement. While he normally would have been the one complaining, Ethan was more agitated at the moment since he'd had to miss a game release because of homework and training. Conner hadn't had to miss anything truly important in a while and Kira was making sure that she balanced her time better now. Still, they were starting to agree with him as they were tired of constantly being responsible and blowing off the more enjoyable things in life. "Seriously, Conner, when was the last time that you practiced soccer, just for fun? Kira, hasn't the number of songs you've created gone down?"

"Not by that much!" Kira snapped, a little defensive about her music. Even she understood that he wasn't implying that she was lazy, it still bothered her.

"He's right," Conner agreed. As Kira's head whirled around to glare at him, he threw his hands up. "It's not your fault, Kira. Ethan hasn't been able to play his games as much either. There's just too much to do."

"There, see?" Ethan asked, making sure that Hayley didn't overhear them. "It's not our fault that we had no training to begin with."

"Yeah, well, what can we do about it anyway?" Kira asked and Ethan sat back for a moment. He hadn't gotten that far yet. Conner looked at his friends, saw the defeat, and sighed as he went back to studying. Kira quietly joined him, but Ethan's mind was going a mile a minute. Finally he sat up quickly, a smile rushing to his face.

"I've got it!" He exclaimed, still managing to keep his voice quiet enough. Both of the other teenagers quickly looked over as they hoped his plan was a good one. "We've got to get Doctor O a girlfriend."

"Are you serious?" Conner asked, hope fading again. "Besides, that takes care of Doctor O, but what about Kim and Hayley?"

"We don't need to worry about Kim and Hayley," Ethan decided. "Who plans the training schedule? Doctor O. Who teaches the science class? Doctor O. Who insisted that we needed to work harder to become a team…?"

"Doctor O," Conner answered. "Ethan, you're a genius!"

"I know," Ethan answered and they high-fived. Kira, on the other hand, looked less than happy by their idea.

"Oh yeah, 'cause this can't backfire badly," she scoffed. Both boys just looked at her.

"Come on, Kira!" Conner pushed. "You have to admit that he's been pushing us."

"Besides," added Ethan. "We'll need your help. We're a team, right?"

"Technically, Doctor O is a part of the team too," Kira reminded them and both of them shrugged. A minor fact like that wasn't going to get in their way.

"And we're doing him a favor," Conner said. "Come on, Kira."

"Please?" Ethan asked. Kira groaned but nodded. They were right, the three of them were a team.

"I just know I'm going to regret this," she said as she shook her head.

* * *

"Wait, you saw Anton?" Kimberly asked. Tommy inwardly groaned. Seven. That was how many times she'd asked the question.

"Yes, Kim. And as I was trying to say, he's different. He's not the same guy. Well, he is, but he's not," Tommy answered.

"Well, being dead will do that to a guy," she quipped. "What was he doing at Hayley's anyway?"

"He, uh, has a son," Tommy answered and Kim laughed.

"What, he didn't learn his lesson with you?" She snickered and laughed even harder at his scowl. "Oh, come on, Tommy. You know I'm right."

"Yeah, well, you weren't the greatest guest ever, you know," he muttered, trying to save face.

"True, but I didn't eat ten times my own weight either," she said with a laugh. After a minute, her smile died and she looked at him seriously. "So, he's really changed, huh?"

"Big time, Kim," he answered. Both were quiet for a moment. Kim had met the man during one of her visits to Tommy to see how he was doing in coming up with a power. She'd found out about their experiments then and had genuinely liked the older man. Besides for being rich and funding the projects, he'd also been a hands on man. Something Tommy was insisting he'd somehow lost.

"Well, we should probably keep an eye on him for now. Besides, maybe it's a temporary thing," she offered.

"Yeah, may… Wait, what do you mean keep an eye on him?" Tommy exclaimed, his head snapping up to look at her.

"Well, Mesagog has been keeping an eye on you, right? Didn't Anton Mercer help you build everything? I seem to remember that," she reminded him with a look. He glared at her tone, but nodded.

"You're right," he agreed and sat down at the computer. Kim pulled up a chair and joined him, affectionately petting Red as he stood beside her. They were quiet again before Kim spoke up.

"Any luck finding the black raptor rider egg?" She asked finally.

"None yet, Kim. What if it's hatched? These guys were hard enough to train without running around on their own for weeks," he answered. Kim shrugged.

"I still don't understand how it got lost from the others in the first place. Hell, I don't even know why you made a black one in the first place. I mean, you didn't even know about the black gem, did you?" She asked and he shook his head no.

"Black was the first one we made. I wanted to see if we could do it and I figured that if I could, I wouldn't want one of the main colors to be less than the others. If we started with red and it was inferior than the blue and yellow two would be better and the red ranger would be at a disadvantage. Same for all of the other colors. So, I chose black and worked with it," he explained. "In all honesty, Kim, there is a good chance that it didn't and won't hatch."

"Sort of like the runt of the litter?" She asked and he nodded. "Well, at least we don't have to worry too much about a power play with the raptors when we find it."

"If, Kim. If we find it," he reminded her. Kim shrugged, stretching. She had been stuck in the lab and at Hayley's without getting outside as much. She had to admit, she wanted out for a bit.

"Tell you what, Tommy," she offered. "You stay here and keep an eye on things in case Mesagog attacks and I'll take Red to see if we can find the black egg."

"Kim, what if you're seen?" He asked and she smiled.

"Don't worry about it, Tommy. I'll be right back!" She answered happily as she raced upstairs. Red looked over at Tommy and cocked his head to the side.

"Don't worry about it, Red. All women are like that," Tommy muttered. Red went back to watching the door patiently. After all, raptors can't shrug. Within minutes, Kim came racing back downstairs wearing a large red cloak. Tommy stared at her. "Where did you get that?"

"I was Little Red Riding Hood one year for Halloween. I'm sure Conner, Jason, and Rocky won't mind if I borrow their color," she answered, making sure the cloak covered her head. Tommy had to admit that he couldn't tell anything about her from the back, which was the only side anyone would see when she was riding Red. Like his Ranger, Red was the fastest of the raptors. He sighed and nodded.

"I don't suppose you'll listen if I tell you no?" He asked and she gave him a look. "I didn't think so."

"Relax, Tommy! Red could use the exercise and I'm bored anyway. We'll be fine. Besides, I have my communicator," she reminded him. Red was already next to her, staying perfectly still so that she could get on. Tommy just nodded and Kim grinned. "Catch you on the flipside!"

She leapt onto Red's back and they raced out the door. Tommy watched and shook his head as he looked back at the screen. Anton Mercer was back, he wanted nothing to do with Tommy, they still hadn't found the black egg, Kim was off riding one of the raptors to find said egg, and she had a Little Red Riding Hood cloak. He heard a chuckle from behind him and looked to see Jason standing there. Tommy growled. "When are you going back to Angel Grove?"

"You'll miss me when I'm gone," Jason teased and pointed to the camera that watched Kim ride off. "I figured that you could use a bit of a sparring match."

Tommy just grinned.

* * *

"So, who do we hook him up with?" Conner asked. "I mean, in order to get him a girlfriend, I'm pretty sure we need a girl."

"Well," Ethan said thoughtfully. "Who are the women in his life?"

Kira sighed. "Hayley, Kim, and Principal Randall." All three made a face at the last one. Desperate or not, they were not subjecting their teacher to that. Kira quickly amended her statement. "Hayley and Kim."

"Not Hayley," Ethan offered. "She even said something about not being interested in him."

"So, that leaves Kim!" Conner said helpfully. The other two gave him a look.

"Figure that one out all on your own?" Ethan teased.

"Shut up, Ethan," Conner fought back. "Alright, so Kim it is."

"Uh, guys? How are we going to do this when we know nothing about them really?" Kira asked. The boys looked a bit worried for a moment before Ethan snapped his fingers.

"Trini and Jason," he answered. "The four of them have been friends for a long time. Besides, we're helping. They'll want to help their friends, right?"

"Right," they agreed. They began to plot and plan a way for this to work including the involvement of flowers, music, movies, and anything else their teenage minds could come up with. To their good fortune, Trini came in during the middle of their plans and Kira called her over.

Trini hadn't been just good at guessing what Billy was talking about when they were teenagers; she was intelligent and easily the second smartest behind Billy. She was also observant and she understood people which made her well-rounded, so she guessed that when three teenagers are calling you over to a secluded area in an excited manner, and you know their teachers, mischief is about to occur. Still, Trini was curious over the matter and better her than someone else, she supposed, so she headed over and sat down. Within moments, she had the entire story, which she would usually have turned down. That said, hearing the couple that they had wanted to put together caught her interest and she had to admit that hooking her best friend up with the love of the woman's life did intrigue her. Besides, it would be a fun story to share the next time all of the former Rangers got back together.

"Very well," she said. "I'll help you, but let's wait for Jason. I'm sure he'll want to help too."

All three nodded. Kira looked at her. "So, do you have a plan?"

Trini smiled at that. "Of course. You three are going to have to do the grunt work, though."

"Okay!" They quickly agreed. Trini kept that in mind. Zack still did like to play tricks on his friends and having three willing accomplices might mean that she could turn the table on him. For now, however, her thoughts were quickly staying with the plan forming in her mind.

* * *

"This way, Red," Kim told her companion gently and the raptor headed off in the direction she pushed. She still hadn't found anything and it was a large forest. That was assuming, of course, that the egg had landed somewhere out here. Even more of an assumption was that it was an egg. Kim wasn't about to admit it to Tommy, but one of the reasons why she'd taken Red was that if the egg had hatched, then Red would be their best shot of keeping her safe and getting it to mind. They'd stayed away from the Corral as Hayley and Kim had nicknamed the area where the zords stayed. Close enough to come quickly, yet far enough out where they couldn't be seen, the resting spot for the Biozords was well-hidden and easy to reach. Still, they would have also noticed if there was an energy force near it, so there was no point in looking.

Red seemed to be enjoying the time out, even if he was out there for a reason. She wasn't really pushing him hard and he was happy enough to be out of the lab. He and the other two were permanent fixtures in the lab by this point, but he still enjoyed running around outdoors, especially with someone on his back. Well, a certain two someones anyway. He still tended to snap if anyone other than Kim or Conner tried to ride him. He was a two person raptor, thank you very much. His sensor that allowed him to "smell" kicked into gear as he smelled something familiar. While making sure not to knock Kimberly out of the saddle, he headed down a different way.

"Hey! Red, what are you doing?" She asked. The raptor didn't even squeak. Instead he continued down the path he was on. "Red, come on!"

His raptor mind had wrapped around the idea that Kim couldn't smell it. It also realized that she was trying to get him to go a different way when what he wanted was this way. They could look for what she wanted later but he wanted to check this out. He raced down the path, leaping off rocks and heading toward a deep ravine. There, alone and trapped, was a black raptor rider. His shell wasn't crunched as if he had been jumping on it, which led Kim to believe that he hadn't been hatched for very long, and the energy that their lab would have gotten was definitely masked by something or another.

"Come on, Red, we need to get him out," Kim said, jumping off his back. She began to look for a log that she could shove down in there. Raptors were good jumpers, but the edges were slick and the black raptor was newly hatched. It would take a little while before he understood everything he could do.

Red, on the other hand, moved to the edge of the cliff and chirped at it. The black raptor looked up and chirped back. Red adapted quickly and accepted that one of his pack was stuck. Without Yellow or Blue, he was going to have a harder time helping the raptor and the log might work, but he wouldn't understand what to do. Red was experienced, but this new raptor was younger. He could also tell that something was wrong with this pack member on top of it. He raced over to Kim and chirped at her. "Hey, Red, what is it?"

The raptor chirped and raced back to the edge, jumping in. He chirped at the black one and motioned upward. Red was able to jump back out, but the black one was still having difficulties and fell back in. Kim looked confused. "How come you can get out, Red?" She asked and moved to her communicator. "Tommy?"

_"Kim! I was beginning to worry about you!"_ Tommy's voice came through clearly.

"Are you busy? I could really use your help out here," she asked.

_"No problem. Jason can watch the computer. Where are you?"_ He asked and she read off the coordinates to him. She was really starting to like all of the nifty gadgets that Hayley had come up with. _"I'll be there as soon as I can!"_

Red bobbed his head and chirped something to the new black raptor. It chirped something back. They continued to chirp to each other and Kim sat down next to Red. It was going to be a little while.

* * *

With Tommy gone, Jason was able to relax and occasionally glanced at the computer. Without alarms going off, he really had nothing to worry about. He leaned back in the chair and began planning out his next week. Trini and he were going to head back to Angel Grove in a couple of days, and for now he was enjoying laid back duties. As agreed before, all six were potential mentors. If something happened to Tommy, Jason would take over and the same for Kim and Trini. Since they were here, Jason and Trini were happy to help out their friends with training the new kids, but both agreed that it was also as much fun to just be laid back about it and offer an opinion once in a while, sort of like uncles and aunts instead of the main teacher. It was much more relaxing.

"Jason, we need to talk." Trini's words as she entered the lab broke him out of his thoughts and he immediately turned around to face her. He noticed that the three teens were with her and he looked a bit confused. "They came up with a plan and they want our help."

"A plan? For what?" Jason asked. He could tell that she obviously was thinking about something if she didn't tell him what was going on right away. He patiently waited while she sat down across from him.

"To get Kim and Tommy together," she answered. The room fell into silence when Jason fell out of the chair he was sitting in. It was completely unexpected to everyone, other than Trini, that something that simple would cause the first leader of the Power Rangers to fall from his seat.

"And do they know you're doing this?" He asked as he picked himself up from the floor.

"Of course not," she answered. Jason grinned.

"Count me in!" He said quickly to the teens' surprise. "What's your plan?"

"Who says I have a plan?" Trini asked innocently and Jason's grin expanded.

"Trini, you always have a plan," he told her, slightly flirting. She turned a slight shade of red, but quickly brushed it off and laid it out for them.

"Jason, you and I will have to get them here, alone, when we're ready. That shouldn't be too difficult. Kira, you're in charge of music. Conner, you handle the flowers. Ethan, we need you to mess around with anything technical, like lights. Split up setting the table, getting candles for the middle of the table, and finding a table cloth. Jason, you and I will do the cooking," she said. The others nodded and they got to work with making their plan come into fruition. "Jason, where are they right now?"

"They went looking for an egg and then Kim needed his help," he answered.

"Good, stay here. When they come back, offer to take them to the hotel or something. Come up with a reason, any reason," she pushed.

"Pipes broke?" He offered. She gave him a look.

"And who is going to fix them, Jason?" She asked and he grinned.

"I will. Tommy and Kim both know that I can. They've broke at the dojo a few times and it was cheaper for me to just learn how to fix them if it's a small problem," he offered. Trini nodded.

"Fair enough," she agreed. "Alright, new plan. You keep them busy, and I'll cook."

"Done," he agreed and turned back to the computer, waiting.

* * *

"It's trapped?" Tommy asked as he got out of the car and Kim nodded.

"Big time, Tommy. I was thinking that maybe it was too high, but Red had no problem jumping out," she said. "Do you think something is wrong with it?"

"Like I said, Kim, I made the black one first. It hatched last and you said it might be smaller," he said. "I'm not sure what to do."

Red watched for a few minutes as they talked and came closer to the ravine, but this was not going how he wanted it to go. They were taking too long and he wanted the Ranger here for a reason. He ducked his head down and charged Tommy. Kim called out and Tommy jumped, but it was right onto Red's back. Pleased, Red jumped up and then fell into the ravine, Tommy still on his back. The moment they landed, Tommy jumped off the raptor's back. "Red! What the hell was that for?"

Red pushed him toward the black one and jumped back up next to Kim. Kim bit her lip. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh? What do you mean 'uh oh?'" Tommy demanded and Kim looked over at Red who was next to her, but was laying down, relaxed.

"I, uh, think you're stuck down there until you can get the new raptor out. On the plus side, I don't think that they'll be fighting anytime soon," she offered.

"Kim! Find that log or something, alright?" He asked and she nodded, racing off. "Red, get down here! Red! Dammit, come here! Red!"

Red was paying no attention to the noise whatsoever, though he did keep an eye on Kim. If she looked like she was in trouble, he'd help her. The black raptor, on the other hand, was chirping pitifully and it didn't take Tommy long to figure out why. Somehow, between the time it hatched and now, the dino had managed to damage its leg. Though made out of metal, it seemed that the metal wasn't attached in the same way as Red, Yellow, and Blue. With Hayley's help, they'd be able to fix it, but first they had to get out of the ravine in the first place. Tommy was cursing the red raptor, loudly enough so that Red could hear it, but he was still stuck in the equivalent of a giant hole. He felt something nudge him and he suddenly remembered that this raptor wasn't trained.

Immediately, he began to back away from it and the other raptor moved toward him. His mind branched off to realize that the raptor could walk just fine, but not jump well before he realized he was in a lot of trouble. "Red! Red, get down here now!"

The black raptor's tail waved back and forth a bit and then it jumped at Tommy. The black ranger couldn't move quick enough as the raptor overtook him.

* * *

"A log, a log, a log. Oh, screw this! Hayley?" Kim's voice rang out over the communicator.

_"What is it? I'm watching everything, Squirt,"_ Jason's voice rang over the communicator. _"Whatever is blocking everything must be closer to the ravine. I can see you too. So, what do you need?"_

"Can you check around where I am and find a large log?" She requested.

_"No problem. What do you need it for?"_ He asked.

"Well, the new raptor is stuck in a ravine. Red, uh, dragged Tommy down into it and hopped back out. I can't convince him to go back in, so I need a log," she answered and she could hear him laughing. "It's not funny, Jason! It's an untamed raptor!"

_"Sorry, you're right. Speaking of right, look to it. There should be one there," _the former red Ranger informed her. Thrilled, she raced over to it. It was only then that she realized that she couldn't carry it on her own.

"Red! Come here!" She called out. The raptor came running over to her and didn't even need to be told what to do as it began to help her push the log back to the ravine. That was when they heard Tommy scream.

* * *

Tommy groaned and pushed the raptor off of him as it tried to nuzzle him. It obeyed the gesture and continued to wave its tail in what Tommy realized was a playful way. "Tommy?! Are you alright?" He heard Kim scream down at him.

"I'm fine, Kim!" He answered. "It's friendly!"

"What happened?" She asked, as Red and she finished pushing the log over.

"He jumped on me. He was trying to play," Tommy answered, only realizing afterward that he'd called the new raptor a he instead of an it. Fortunately, they managed to get the log down and Tommy looked at the raptor. "I'm going to need a ride back up. Can you give me a lift?"

He slowly pulled himself up onto the raptor's back and waited to make sure that the raptor didn't do anything else. Instead, the black raptor climbed the log a bit and managed to leap up the rest of the way, barely making it to the top. Tommy glanced over at Red who bobbed his head and turned around, looking back toward Tommy's house. _Perhaps I made them a bit smarter than I thought._

"Well, I could have done that!" Kim said, motioning to the log. "Why on earth did Red seem to act like we needed you out here?"

"Because he's a bastard," Tommy answered and Red made an unpleasant noise. _Definitely too smart._ Tommy shrugged. "Besides, if something more serious was wrong with the new one, then I would have been able to figure it out since I made them. Maybe I shouldn't have bragged about that so much."

"Probably not," Kim answered and got onto Red's back. Tommy took a minute, but followed when he got onto Black's. "Come on, guys. Let's go home."

Tommy happily agreed and quickly morphed so that his identity would be safe on the ride back.

* * *

"Hey Trini? How much longer until everything is done?" Jason called up to her. Trini glanced around the kitchen and noticed that mostly everything was cooked. The table was set with candles and Kira had chosen the music. Flowers were decorating the atmosphere and Ethan had gotten new light bulbs to make the atmosphere a little darker and more romantic. Conner had joined Trini in the kitchen and was finishing up a salad.

"Not too much longer. Why?" She asked. Jason looked a bit worried.

"They took longer than we thought, Tri," he answered. "We're going to have to go through with this without getting them cleaned up."

Trini looked disappointed, but she had to agree. By the time they could get them out of the way and back, the food would be cold. She calmed herself down and nodded to herself. "We can still pull this off."

"Got it. I'll send them up when they get here and slip out through the back. Make sure everything is ready on the table," he told her. He went back to watching the cameras and let Trini know when they were getting close. Needing to buy them a little time, he managed to intercept them when they came in.

"Hey, Bro," Tommy said, jumping off Black. "Just so you know, raptors are not the way to travel."

Kim laughed as her companion powered down and she jumped off of Red, who nudged her a bit. "He's exaggerating. It wasn't that bad. Besides, we found the little guy."

Jason glanced over to see Blue and Yellow look curiously over at Black who was hopping around. Red joined them and watched from a distance. Black, unlike Blue and Yellow or even Red, was in the process of figuring out what things were. More than once, Red needed to snap at him to keep him away from things that Red understood to be important like the computer. Jason laughed and slapped Tommy on the back. "Congrats, Bro. You have another teenager."

"Yeah," Tommy agreed and motioned toward Red. "But I think Red has this one covered."

"Of course he does," Kim scoffed. "Red is a good leader, head of the pack. It's in his… uh… either circuits or DNA."

Jason listened carefully to the upstairs. When he heard the door open and close, he took complete control of the situation. "So, what are you two going to do now?"

"Shower," answered Tommy. Kim shrugged.

"I can wait, but I think I'll get something to eat," she answered. Jason nodded.

"Have a good night then, guys," he stated and waited until they were at the stairs before running out the back escape route. He enjoyed living. Within a few minutes of running, Trini pulled up next to him to pick him up. Their plan was in full swing.

Kim and Tommy, on the other hand, were less than pleased. "Why those conniving little…"

"I recognize the music," Tommy added. "Kira likes it."

"The flowers are red."

"Ethan would be the first to come up with the lights."

"This is Trini's recipe. I'd recognize it from anyway. They set us up!" Kim finished.

"Oh yeah," Tommy answered. "I'm sure Jason and Trini thought this was a great idea. We're not going at it like bunnies, so obviously we need help."

"We've been flirting," Kim agreed though she did pause right after saying it. "We do need to talk some stuff out, though, if we're honestly going to try this."

"We talked out that letter years ago," Tommy answered in confusion. Kim nodded.

"Yes, but there's still worry from you especially that it might happen again. It won't, Tommy. If this doesn't work out, I'll tell you to your face," she promised. Tommy nodded.

"Same here. We were kids, Kim. No older than Kira, Conner, and Ethan. Looking back, I'm not surprised it happened," he said. "We know better now."

"We need to take this slow, Tommy," Kim added. "No rushing into anything."

Tommy nodded and they were both quiet, though not the bad kind of quiet, but the kind where you're making sure that everything is sinking in before you continue. Tommy was the first to break it as he sat down at the table. Annoyed or not, a free meal was a free meal. "So, how are we going to do it?"

"Get back at them?" Kim asked as she joined him and at his nod, she grinned. "Simple. We'll overplay it."

"Huh?" Tommy asked filling his plate and then looking at her in confusion. She grinned at him as she spoke and got her own food.

"Do you remember those romantic movies I would take you to and we'd mimic them afterward because they were overplaying it? Well, we'll do that. We'll mimic what they were expecting before we let them know we're onto them."

"It wasn't that that hard to figure out," Tommy grumbled as he began to eat. "They could have been more subtle."

"So could we, but this way is far more fun…"

* * *

"You know," Conner stated from the table in the lab. "No matter how many times I look at the question, I still don't care who killed Hamlet."

"Technically, Laertes," answered Kira, looking through a different book. "He stabbed him but it was Claudius' idea."

"Seriously?" Conner asked. "Dude, maybe I do need to read the book if they're stabbing each other."

"Only read the last act then. Other than Polonius and Ophelia, everyone else dies at the end," Ethan offered. "And who put us on lab duty anyway?"

"Hayley," Kira answered. "She said something about energy signatures and us needing to keep an eye on it so that she could run the café."

"So, listen for when the alarms go off?" Conner asked.

"Yeah," Kira answered. They sighed and went back to homework, realizing that they had tests, essays, and various other things due. Jason and Trini still didn't know if their plan worked and warned the teenagers not to mention it. Still, they were relieved when Trini and Jason joined them in the lab for a couple reasons: they didn't want to worry about the only ones around Kim and Doctor O if the plan failed and the adults could pay more attention to the computers while they did homework. Before any of them could say a word, however, they heard giggling and laughter.

"Is that what I think it is?" Conner asked, sounding a little disgusted. The thought of getting their mentors together had been a great idea in his eyes, but he forgot about the seeing them together part. Sure enough, Kim ran down the stairs, giggling and racing behind Jason. Fortunately, she was still completely dressed and had some sense about her. Their other mentor raced down, shirt off, after her and saw her behind Jason who was trying to figure out what was going on.

"Beautiful lady, come here!" He called out and Kim merely giggled and continued to use Jason as a sheild. Tommy actually ran after her and she moved from behind Jason, racing away yet letting herself get caught. "Have I ever told you that I just want to drown in your eyes?"

"Yes, but you can tell me again," she told him sweetly, batting her eyes. He pulled her closer to him.

"Why would I need to repeat such a thing when there is so much more about you to talk about? Your hair…"

"Flatterer."

"Your nose…"

"Oh now really."

"Your mouth…"

"What about it?" Kim asked and he leaned into her, giving her a quick kiss.

"It's so kissable," he answered after and dipped her for another. She giggled again and turned her head a bit playfully.

"Oh you men. It might not work out."

"We can try," Tommy said suggestively, leaning to try to kiss her again. She gently pushed against him, her face a mixture of want and mock worry.

"The letter…"

"Is ancient history. Be mine?"

"Always!" She agreed and pulled him back to her for another kiss. The teens made a face and looked at Jason and Trini, imploring them to stop it. Trini looked at Jason and Jason sighed.

"Alright! Alright! We get the point. No more setting you two up. Now stop it! You'll give the kids nightmares," Jason snapped. Trini scoffed at that.

"Forget the kids. They're giving –me- nightmares," she muttered. Both Kim and Tommy smiled as he let her up and they turned to face the conspirators.

"Why?" Kim asked, her hands on her hips. "Was their nothing on T.V.? No movies you wanted to see?"

"We got a show anyway," Jason said with a shrug and a sheepish smile. "Besides, it was the teens' idea, we just decided to help them out."

"Why?" She asked Jason and turned to the teens. "Why? All of you, just why?"

All three teens looked at each other embarrassedly before Ethan spoke up. After all, it had been originally his idea. "Well, we felt a little overworked with school and training and saving the world from evil… We sort wanted a break and I thought…"

"And we agreed with him," Conner said quickly, not about to let Ethan hang by himself.

"That maybe if Doctor O had a girlfriend then he'd, uh, be easier on us?" Ethan finished. Now that he thought about it, Kira had been right. Stupid idea. He was hanging around Conner too much. "And Principal Randall was off the list and Hayley wasn't interested or anything and you seemed to like Kimberly, so, uh…"

"We didn't think you'd mind?" Offered Conner, smiling hopefully. Tommy looked furious while Kim actually started laughing. She looked straight at Conner, knowing he'd give her a true answer.

"That's how you put it to Trini and Jason too, wasn't it?" She asked and the teens looked even more embarrassed. "Guys, Tommy and I used to date. In fact, I broke up with him with a 'Dear John' letter."

The three teens looked mortified while Jason and Trini looked completely calm over the whole thing. It didn't take the teens long before they realized that Jason and Trini knew this and let them do it anyway. Trini had come up with the plan even. Conner looked at her. "Why…?"

"They belong together," the former yellow Ranger answered unabashed. "I was hoping that it might work."

Kim giggled. "Tri, Tommy and I were already flirting and starting over. We were even planning on dating anyway. We just want to take it slow this time so we don't screw it up again."

Conner opened his mouth to say something, but both Ethan and Kira clapped their hands over it. Trini and Jason had the grace to look a little embarrassed at this point. Kira offered their mentors a sheepish smile. "Uh, congrats?"

"Thank you, Kira," Kim answered. "I'm sure I'd be saying the same to the boys, but they're a little busy right. Just no more getting involved with us dating, okay?"

"We won't," Kira quickly promised.

"Never," Ethan added.

"Not unless you ask," finished Conner. Kim nodded.

"Good," she said and Doctor Oliver shook his head, still angry.

"Obviously, you have more time on your hands than you think if you can plan something like this," he said, turning to look at all three. "So, you can just do a couple extra essays for science class. On fossils. The normal length."

From behind him, Kim made the gesture that they needn't bother listening to him. When he turned around to face her, Kim looked completely calm. "Since they don't actually count, Tommy, how about I look them over? If they don't do a good job, then I'll give them extra training. I mean, you have those tests from Tuesday to grade already."

Tommy smiled. "Thanks, Kim, and I guess that's fair. I mean, they did it to you too and I already handed out the punishment," he said. He turned and headed upstairs. Kim waited and looked at the teens.

"Don't worry about it. I really don't feel like grading papers anyway," she said with a wink and turned to her old friends. "No more helping. Any of you."

The teens quickly reaffirmed their statements from earlier. At least one of their mentors was taking this in stride and they didn't want to anger her as well. The other two looked a little more upset over it.

"You're no fun," pouted Jason, though he held up his hands in a mock surrender when she glared at him. She then turned her glare to her best friend.

Trini looked straight back at her and deadpanned as she asked, "Did I mention the nightmares you two gave me? Never again, Kim."

Kim just smiled.

* * *

**Author's Note**: This chapter was the beginning of the official relationship between Kim and Tommy. I do intend to take it slow, so don't expect them to rush off to bed anytime soon. I wasn't sure if I should have dragged on their charade a bit longer, but it was making –me- nauseous so I decided to stop.

Black was shown on the show, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember when Tommy found him and he just sort of seemed to appear. Also, Tommy didn't really know about the black gem, so why would he make one? I felt like filling in the blanks here. Red and Black, while being cybertronic raptors, seem to have developed as characters for me. Go fig, huh?

And thank you for all the reviews you guys have given. I appreciate them all so much.


	7. Family Ties

**Chapter Seven: Family Ties**

"Why do we have to memorize this again?" Conner whined as an answer to their mentor's question. The three of teens were in the woods, sitting on the ground, Conner in the middle, Ethan on his left and Kira on his right. The two other teens were told to tackle him to the ground if he tried to escape, but they looked about as enthused as he did and there was only a fifty percent chance they'd tackle him instead of following his lead. In front of them, Kim sat cross-legged, slightly annoyed with the teenager's complaint.

"Because, Conner," she sighed, holding her head. "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it."

"We watched the video, Kim. We got it," he tried and the other two nodded quickly in agreement. Their mentor rubbed her temple a bit before answering.

"The video gives a good outline of Ranger history, but it was less than thirty minutes long, guys. There is little to nothing about various problems that we went through. Besides," she said, her voice a little quieter and sadder as she spoke. "Tommy and I won't be around forever. We need for someone to carry on the history."

"What about the other originals? Other Rangers? Your own children?" Conner asked, emphasizing the last one. It wasn't that he didn't like Kim and Tommy, but he didn't want to get stuck doing something boring when they could torture their own children eventually. Kira frowned and smacked his arm. He looked at her in confusion until she pointed over in Kim's direction. He glanced over and winced at the broken expression on Kim's face. "What did I say this time?"

"Children," Kira whispered and Kim took a deep breath and looked at them. Conner had a confused look on his face, mixed with a little guilt for bringing it up. He didn't know why he wasn't supposed to, but he understood that it had been bad for some reason. At least when he looked at Kira and Ethan, they looked just as confused.

"Tommy and I agreed that we can't have children. Tommy seems to become a Ranger over and over again and I'm constantly involved. If it happened this many years after last time, it could happen again. I can handle putting my own life at risk, but not a child's. Tommy feels the same way," she answered, deciding it was better to let them know than have them ask someone else. All three teenagers looked at each other and Conner broke the silence, swallowing.

"So, uh, Goldar, huh?" He asked, changing the subject the best that he could. At seventeen, nearly eighteen, he wasn't quite sure how to answer that and was even less sure his mentor wanted him to. Kim, fortunately, grasped at it and quickly went back into teacher mode.

"A lot like Zeltrax, except that he was a monkey in shiny gold armour. Trust me, it was a lot worse than it sounds," she assured them when they began to snicker. "He always had to go after Jason or Tommy too. He was a very specific psychopath. Like Zeltrax." She paused for a minute and chuckled a bit. "Tommy really seems to attract these people, doesn't he?"

Ethan nodded. "Oh yeah. Doctor O definitely gets more than his fair share."

"Well, whichever he chose that day would get into a fight with him, by themselves, while the rest of us fought the monster of the week," she continued. "Can anyone guess why this might be important for any of you?"

To her dismay, the one Ranger she wanted to impress upon was the only one who looked blank. She sighed and looked over at the yellow Ranger. "Kira?"

"Because if something happens to Doctor O, then he might decide that Conner is a good target," she answered, glaring daggers at her companion. Conner shrugged it off.

"Come on, Kim. Nothing is going to happen to Doctor O. I mean, come on. Has a Power Ranger ever been killed?" He asked in a flippant way. He paused when she didn't answer right away and the other two looked over. All three looked a little scared for the first time that day. His voice was a lot smaller when he asked again. "Kim?"

"Yes," she answered. "A pink Ranger."

The three sat there for a few minutes, taking the information in. Kim took the time to think over how the information could affect someone. Sure, they'd all had close encounters, but after a while you tended to forget that it was a real possibility. Some part of you felt cocky, like there was nothing that could happen to you. To hear that it had happened to someone else in the same line of work shattered the illusions that you didn't know were there. Tommy and Kim were adults now and had dealt with death due to Rangering with Zordon. They fortunately hadn't had to deal with that yet and she hoped they never would. She turned to the three teenagers, taking pity on them. "Class dismissed."

* * *

"Down boy! Black! Stop! Come here! Black!" Tommy yelled, trying to grab the black raptor as he managed to jump over Tommy's head. The black Dino Ranger was beginning to regret fixing the raptor's leg. The table was tipped on its side, breaking some of the objects on it since Black had decided to leap off of it. The worst part was, Black seemed to decide it was a game at some point and was currently playing keep away now. "Drop that! Drop it! Black!"

A noise that sounded like a snicker came from behind him and he glared over at the red raptor who was watching everything in amusement. Red had been handling the new raptor since they got him, but Tommy had decided that he needed to be able to control his own raptor. Therefore, he'd told Red to sit this one out and let him handle it. Red had chirped something at Yellow and Blue and now they were all just watching. Well, Yellow and Blue were nipping at each other over something again, but Red was definitely just watching. "This isn't funny, Red!"

The raptor gave a noise of a snort. He could handle Black. It was easy enough, but no. Alpha male human wanted to try it himself. He was starting to understand why humans had female alphas instead. At least, he thought they did. Kim and the other female, Hayley were always letting Tommy know when he did something wrong, often by hitting his head, and the young female, Kira, was constantly pummeling the younger males when they did something wrong. Except in battle where Conner was the alpha. Human hierarchies were very confusing. He heard the door open and glanced over to see Kim coming down the stairs. Finally, some sense was coming. She could stop her mate and let Red take care of Black like he was supposed to. He raced toward the door and let her pat him on the head a few times before she saw the mess her mate was causing.

"Tommy? What's going on?" Kim looked at the lab, or what was left of it. Fortunately, the computer was in one piece, but there were things turned over, broken, and scattered throughout.

"I'm training Black to listen to me!" Tommy yelled, leaping at the youngest raptor, who easily dodged. Blue and Yellow lifted their heads from their argument to watch and when Kim glanced at Red, he just snickered again.

"So, why isn't Red helping you?" She asked, wondering if the red raptor was ignoring Tommy again.

"I can do it!" Tommy yelled and Kim sighed, walking over to him. Enough was enough and they didn't need to lose the computer too.

"Red, get Black," she commanded. Red immediately leapt on the smaller raptor and snapped at his face a few times. Black immediately calmed down. "Are you alright?"

"He won't listen to me, Kim!" Tommy growled. "How am I supposed to work with him if he won't listen?"

"I think it's going to take more time, Tommy," she answered soothingly. "Besides, doing it now isn't the best idea. Your emotions are already going nuts."

Tommy sighed, accepting she was right and they both went to start picking up the lab. Yellow and Blue helped with the tables and larger items while they took care of the smaller things. "I can't believe he did that, Kim."

She nodded, knowing he wasn't talking about Black. "It surprised me too, but you said he's been acting like an ass."

"He tried to take away Hayley's Cyberspace, Kim," Tommy reminded her. "He… he never acted like that before the island blew up."

Kim patted his back. "It's not easy when mentors change or leave us, is it?" She asked. Tommy shook his head.

"How did lessons go?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Not well. They're frustrated, I'm frustrated, and some big issues came up," she answered. Tommy just looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Like death."

The black Ranger nodded. "We knew they'd ask eventually," he quietly reminded her. "So, that's why you're back early."

She nodded and sighed a bit. He touched her arm and smiled a bit, hopeful. She laughed at the expression on his face. "No. They're adjusting and when they finish, they're going to run back here."

"Why?" He asked, disappointed, wanting a free night for Kim and him to have some alone time.

"Because we're their mentors, their Zordon. We make them feel safe," she answered. "So as much as I'd love to snuggle up on the couch and watch whatever movie you grabbed from the video store, we can't."

Tommy groaned and leaned back, knowing he was going to lose this argument. "I don't like logic."

"You're a scientist. You live by logic," Kim argued and Tommy snorted. "The teens also found out about our decision."

"The children one?"

"Yep."

Tommy nodded. "How did they take it?"

"They were a little confused, I think. Same as Jason and Trini were, but neither of them became a Power Ranger again after ten years," she answered and paused. "I think that they just felt bad."

"They're good kids," Tommy said, hugging her. "Besides, we're taking this slow. We just wanted to make sure we both agreed before we continued."

"I know," she answered and looked at him. "So, are you going to try to teach Black again?"

"He's a menace. I can't believe he's mine," Tommy muttered. "He'd go better with Conner."

"Hey!"

"He's got a point, Conner," Ethan said as he followed the red Ranger in and Kira followed both of them. While both Conner and Ethan had tried to joke, it sounded flat and all three looked a little scared. Tommy looked over at Kim who just nodded. He knew she'd been right, but seeing them now proved it.

"Are you guys okay?" Tommy asked, letting go of Kim and standing up. Kim followed. The three looked at each other and then back at their mentors.

"Who was she?" Conner asked. "How did she die?"

The other two waited patiently as Tommy answered. "Kendrix was the name of the pink Ranger. They were fighting the bad guys at the time, Psycho Rangers. The pink one started an energy storm that would have destroyed their ship. She sacrificed herself to stop it. Later, she was brought back to life, but she was the first of us to die."

"But not the first on our side…" Kim whispered. Even after so many years it was hard for them to bring up Zordon. Conner looked at Ethan, who looked at Kira, who looked back at Conner. After a few seconds of silent disagreement, Conner looked at their mentors.

"What was he like?" Conner asked. The other two looked over, curious, yet like Conner, not quite knowing how to broach the subject. Tommy and Kim looked at each other and sighed as they sat back down.

"You want to know this now?" Tommy asked. "What happened to being afraid of dying?"

Kira looked over at her personal mentor. "We are afraid. Really afraid, but you're alive even if he isn't. I guess… I guess we trust you to make sure that we live through it."

Ethan nodded. "We talked to Jason and Trini and they told us that why you might worry about each other, you feel responsible for us. So, we figure that we don't have anything to worry about."

"You'll take care of us. But it will still make us feel better if you talk about Zordon," Conner mentioned. None of the teens wanted to mention that Zordon had died and he'd been a mentor, like the two in front of them and while Kendrix's death scared them about dying, they also knew that Kim was a pink Ranger. In terms of death, their female mentor had two predecessors that had died. "Please?"

Kimberly sighed. "Alright."

"He was patient, good, and he understood the best what we were fighting for. We told you that he died, but when he died he destroyed all of the evil at that time. He didn't want us to give up everything, but he helped us understand that sometimes you have to give a lot in order to win," Tommy explained. Kim nodded.

"He'd try to talk us out of things that were extremely dangerous, though Tommy or Jason would insist that we could handle it and the rest of us backed them up. We almost always backed them up. He rarely got angry or annoyed with us and we tried to make sure he was never disappointed," Kim agreed, her expression changed a bit as a memory surfaced. "Though, we weren't always successful. When Tommy was powerless and the city was kidnapped on Power Rangers Day, we ended up fighting this monster, Cyclopsis. Our Zords were torn up, badly, and we lost the first battle. He wasn't angry with us, knowing these things happen which often happened when we lost a battle. He would just prepare up for the next one. Zordon told us that it would take hours for the Zords to replenish and Jason insisted that we should take them out at half power. Zordon warned us that if we did and we failed, we could lose everything in the morphing grid, including us. Still, Jason insisted and we backed him up."

Tommy had heard this story before, but not in much detail. He'd pretty much heard that they lost a battle, went out with half-ready Zords, lost again, found their way back, and eventually won. He wasn't sure why Kim had chosen this story, but she was messing with her hair a bit, like she did when she was nervous. She looked a little embarrassed as she continued. "There wasn't another option since the city and its people wouldn't make it if we didn't, but we still lost. The Zords vanished, we had to evacuate out of them, we lost the power to morph, we lost communication with the Command Center. We're lucky Zordon's warning didn't happen. It was horrible. Billy managed to get us safely to the Command Center by fixing the frequency and we were so relieved to be safe in the Command Center. Jason even grinned when he saw Zordon and called out to him. In an irritated tone, Zordon asked if we were alright. He hadn't yelled, but his annoyance and disapproval were definitely there. We all answered that we were and we didn't show it, but his tone hurt, a lot, and especially to Jason. I don't remember him doing that half-power thing again."

"So, you were afraid of him?" Conner asked, a bit confused. Both adults shook their heads.

"No," Tommy answered. "It was more like we were worried about disappointing him, like he was a second father."

"And he worried about us," Kim added. "He also let us know when he was proud of all of us too and that happened on a far more regular basis. After we beat Cyclopsis, and it wasn't easy, he let us know that he was proud of us. That's also when he gave us the choice to retire, which we didn't take at the time."

Tommy nodded, having heard that story. He chuckled to himself. "One lecture we got is why the communicators and the morphers are together."

Kira looked at it and back at him. "Uh… why?"

Kim and Tommy both looked embarrassed. "Ours weren't," Tommy started. "Zordon gave us the morphers and Billy created the communicators. We, uh, often lost one or the other."

The three teens just looked at them. Both Kim and Tommy looked a little more embarrassed, but Kim continued. "Well, the communicators were wearable, but the morphers weren't, so we sort of carried them around in our bags. It seemed like a good idea at the time…"

"But," Tommy added. "Whenever someone went evil or tricked us, it wasn't hard to get their hands on a morpher. While he told us to get them back, Zordon let it go for a long time. It wasn't until Kat got a hold of Kim's and Kim nearly died that he finally stepped in."

"I can't blame him for that and he was still patient about it, but I think it even scared him that I almost died. We'll tell you that story later," Kim finished. Tommy sighed.

"And not all mentors were that great either. Way after Kim left, we got stuck with Dimitria. She answered questions with questions and never helped. We were better off without her." The three teens looked surprised at their mentor's opinion.

"Seriously?" Ethan asked. "You hated her that much?"

"Zordon was a good mentor, giving us information when we needed it, and a friendly opinion for things going on in our lives. He helped push Kim toward gymnastics when she was uncertain along with the rest of us. Dimitria… just wasn't good at it. I'll admit that moving on with my life or not, it wasn't as difficult of a decision once she was in charge. Other than Justin, who was new anyway, we all changed over and ran." Kim snickered at Tommy's opinion of the second mentor, but she'd also heard horror stories from Adam, Tanya, and Kat as well. They all carried the same opinion of the woman and had jumped at the chance to leave with Tommy.

"You guys feeling better now?" Kim asked, changing the subject away from that one. If there was one goal that Tommy and Kim were trying for, it was to be better mentors that Tommy's second one. They didn't expect to be as good as Zordon, but they still wanted to be decent ones.

"Yeah," Conner answered. "This is all just new to us, you know?"

"And we almost lost you guys before Doctor O became a Ranger," added Kira, biting her lip. "We know that Jason and Trini will help us if something happens to you guys, but…"

Kimberly just nodded and smiled. "How about we go get some ice cream? Ice cream makes the world seem better."

Relieved that they didn't have to say anything else, all three Dino Rangers ran out of the lab, yelling "Shot gun!" the entire way to Tommy's jeep. He just looked at her and she laughed. "I hope you're paying, Kim."

"Well aren't we Doctor Gloom today," she answered and looked at him more seriously. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Tommy answered. "Not a subject I like talking about."

"Which is why we're going to get ice cream! Red, watch the lab. Let's go!" She was finishing as she raced out the door after the teens letting them know that she was getting shotgun and to get in the back. Tommy listened to the bickering and sighed, looking at Red.

"Try to keep Black from destroying anything, okay?" He asked and Red bobbed his head. Tommy followed the others out more slowly. Red gave a snickered chirp. Yes, human females were definitely the alphas. Red turned to Black and Red's expression changed as he leapt at the younger raptor. Blue and Yellow made a new noise and rushed out of the way. Red needed to give that juvenile a lesson about how to treat his human partner.

* * *

Kim stared at the computer, laughing when she noticed that Red was copying her. She pushed the raptor rider away a bit playfully and looked at him. "Red, will you stop that?"

He looked at her and then put his head under her hand so that she'd pet him. Kim chuckled and did so, only to have Black try to push Red away to get some too. Blue and Yellow looked over at the display. While Red headed the pack and Black was obviously the at the bottom of the food chain, neither Tommy nor Kim had been able to figure out whether Blue was higher than Yellow or vice-versa and once they went through the memories of hatching the raptors, they both realized that neither was higher than the other.

_"They hatched at the same time?" Kim asked. "Are you sure? I don't remember that?"_

_"Well, Kim, you were a little busy jumping around squealing that they were hatching in the first place," Tommy answered dryly._

_"I didn't squeal," Kim argued. "I just yelled, happily."_

_"No, you squealed," Tommy fought back. "I was busy making sure the other two would hatch too. And they did. At the same time. They're twins."_

_"Wouldn't twins come from the same egg?" She asked. Tommy gave her a look._

_"Identical twins do, but these two are fraternal twins. Or the equivalent of," he answered._

_"Oh. Have we figured out what they are yet?" She looked over at Blue who jumped on Yellow, knocking the other down to try to get the metal the other was carrying. Yellow, not wanting to drop it, tried to dodge the attacker and swung its tail. Blue jumped and fell over Yellow, knocking both into the wall. Black decided that this was the best time to interfere and rushed at them, but both Yellow and Blue saw him coming and used their tails to cause Black to go flying back. Red made a loud chirping noise and decided to ignore them._

_"I'm guessing, there isn't a lot of evidence from Paleontology, but I think that Blue is female and Yellow is male. Blue is slightly bigger and with raptor birds, sometimes the females are bigger," Tommy answered. Both Blue and Yellow looked over and then went back to what they were doing. Kim nodded._

_"Makes sense, I guess," she answered._

_"Kim," Tommy started and she looked over at him. "Do you realize that we have four raptors living in the lab like a bunch of family pets?"_

_"Yep," she answered. "We're Rangers. We don't do things the normal way. Besides, you said no when I said I wanted a puppy."_

_Yellow went flying past them and into an opposite wall as Blue charged at him. Black followed, chirping the entire way over and Red picked himself up to try to calm them down, only to have Black thrown into him. Thoroughly annoyed, Red threw off Black and charged the twins who squawked and ran the other way as Red smacked Yellow with his tail and leapt on Blue. The wrestling headed into walls as Black and Yellow joined the fray. To make matters worse, it looked similar to the fight Kira, Conner, and Ethan had had a week before during training. The way that Yellow had just thrown back Red was similar to how Kira had handled Conner. Tommy groaned._

_"I was an idiot. Red! Not near the cycles!"_

Kim chuckled to herself over it. She was right: Rangers just couldn't do anything normal. Tommy and herself were proof of that. The computer beeped and she was dragged from her thoughts. She diligently looked at to see where the trouble was this time before she would call to let Tommy and the others know. Haley's would be going off too, but the poor woman had a harder time getting to it. She'd only worry about it if Kim didn't take care of it quick enough. She pushed the button so that the screen would show the problem, but it wasn't in the city. It was right outside the house.

Kim hadn't been a Ranger for no reason and she sprang into action. Knowing she'd need help, she pressed a button that would hit Hayley's side and let her know there was an attack on the lab. They had never had to push the button and Kim just hoped that Hayley remembered what the difference was. After that, she pressed a couple more buttons, locking the secret entrance so that the way through the house was the only way in. There was no sense in being surrounded. The computer was turned off and the cycles' hidden room was locked. Everything on the computer was backed up in case the computer itself was destroyed. Then she grabbed a normal bow and arrows, stashed away just in case something like this would happen.

As she'd hoped, the four raptors fell into place behind her, other than Red who was right next to her. They could hear the Tyrannodrones tearing apart the house looking for them and she felt a shiver fall down her back when she heard Zeltrax's voice ordering them about. It wasn't going to take them long to figure it out. She stood ready, the arrow ready to fly through the first thing that entered the door. All she could do now was wait.

* * *

Class was ending when Tommy's communicator went off. He was lucky it hit when the bell rang, though most students had accepted that it was a cell phone or a watch or something that he didn't know how to put on silent. PhD or not, he accepted their theory and went with it. It made his life easier. "Class dismissed!" He called out, waiting for the students, other than his three Rangers to leave. "Kim?"

"Not quite," Hayley answered and Tommy could tell that she was both stressed and worried. "Tommy, your house, the lab, the alarm went off here. It's under attack…" Tommy didn't wait for her to say anything else, but instead grabbed his jacket and raced out the door without a word to anyone. All three teens chased after, but all of them knew that it took longer to get to the house than away from it since all of their technology was where they were heading.

They piled into the jeep and Tommy's history as a racecar driver came into play. He sped down the road toward his house, wishing that they had teleportation capabilities. The three teens hung on, though buckled, trying not to yell or scream when Tommy nearly hit the truck or when he played chicken with a Semi to pass a car. Kira looked as everything went by and her mind grasped that he was going too fast and reckless for this to only be about the lab. "Doctor O? Is Kim at the house?" She asked.

He gripped the wheel harder as an answer and she nodded, not saying anything else since the jeep could still go faster. Conner, on the other hand, sat up and looked much calmer. "There's enough room for you to get past this guy, Doctor O, just pass on the right."

Tommy actually listened to the suggestion, performing the illegal and dangerous move. They fortunately made it past that and Ethan and Kira stared at their leader as he took command of the situation in order to make sure Tommy did less deadly stunts yet kept the same pace. He made sure to keep his voice level and worked with Tommy to get around things faster. Both of the other occupants hoped they wouldn't be stopped by the police. Tommy certainly seemed to be trying to do that.

* * *

Kim heard the door open and she stood ready. She caught the first Tyrannodrone as it came in, shooting it in the eye. It fell to the ground, twitching for a moment and died. Kim grabbed another arrow, nocking it into place and raising it up to aim. She was able to get one more by the time there was more than one in the room. She still let another fly and moved back to the edge of the room to give herself more time. Red took the opportunity to chirp a three chirp call. Blue attacked from the left, Yellow from the right, and Black leapt over Red to get in back. Red didn't need to chirp again. With a ferocity that their flesh ancestors had, they began to snap and bite.

Even Zeltrax seemed a surprised by the attack and tried to fight through them. Kim was busy nocking, aiming, and shooting any Tyrannodrone that got past the raptors. It wasn't until Zeltrax was six inches away from her, however, that she wished she was more proficient with close range weapons as well. That said, she did try to stab him with the arrow she'd been ready to nock, but he ripped it from her hand, along with the bow, and tossed them aside. Against the wall, and without a weapon, she tried to fight back a bit, but without her Power Ranger abilities, it was a futile effort. At most, she was stalling for time.

Red tried to break away from the Tyrannodrones to help her out, but there were too many. He was managing to keep his pack from being overrun, but he couldn't do too much more than that. He smacked another with his tail and snapped as one got close enough before he felt something leap off his back. The largest raptor worried for a moment that one of the Tyrannodrones had done it, but he saw Black running toward Zeltrax instead. The young raptor threw Zeltrax aside with his tail. It would have been a perfect move, if the cyborg hadn't been holding onto Kim. She was dragged along with as he was flung into nearby wall. Still, it had damaged Zeltrax as well, so Kim had a longer time before he killed her. Red still felt approval for the youngest member of his pack and oddly enough, the creatures they were fighting seemed to decrease. Red looked up to see the other humans fighting them back and trying to get to their own pack member. Red approved of that and was happy that help had arrived.

Tommy was fighting through, trying to make his way down the stairs as Kim and Zeltrax were both picking themselves back up. By the time he got there, after getting through the mass of Tyrannodrones, the fight might be over. He fought back with full willpower, but after a moment, he was thrown by one of the Tyrannodrones and powered up or not, it was going to hurt. Yet, the landing came and he was still moving. Surprised, he looked to see that Black had somehow managed to catch him in the air and was heading in the right direction.

He leapt off the raptor and got in Zeltrax's way, which was just fine by Kim as she was still hurting a bit. In less than a minute, the fight turned to favor the Rangers and the Tyrannodrones were led away by a wounded Zeltrax. The room was torn up a bit and there was blood on the floor and walls, as well as dead Tyrannodrones on the floor, but it was still a victory as the computer was in one piece and anything else could be replaced. At Conner's command, they powered down and raced down to their mentors. Kim smiled up at Tommy and pointed in the direction of the four anxious raptors who were looking at their human companions. "They're better than a puppy."

"I take back every bad thing I ever said about them," Tommy agreed and looked over at the teens. "Are you three alright?"

"We're fine, Doctor O," Conner answered, Kira nodded, and Ethan gave a ghost of a smile. Tommy pulled Kim back up, carefully making sure that nothing was too hurt.

"I'm fine," she assured him and was about to playfully chastise him for it, when she felt arms pull her into a hug. She looked over and saw Tommy standing next to her, pointing at the culprit. Kira had pulled Kim into a hug and both boys quickly followed in suit. Tommy couldn't even see her anymore since she was so small to begin with. She tried to hold all of them the best that she could and she wasn't surprised when she felt Tommy join. It wasn't his normal style, but it felt right. The five humans close together while the four raptors just looked on. They heard footsteps and looked up, relieved to see that it was Hayley.

"I, uh, closed the café," she whispered. She stood there for a minute before Tommy motioned her over. Hayley joined in and there was a sense of completion. Even before Zordon's death, the former Rangers were less in contact. They were still family, yet more apart. With his death, the family had been renewed, but the loss of their mentor had left a huge hole in their hearts. At that moment, Kim and Tommy felt that hole change and the sense of loss weaken. For the first time in nearly ten years, they felt whole.

* * *

"Did you finally get them to go?" Tommy asked as he tossed the broom aside. The lab was beginning to look the way it was supposed to look. There was nothing dead left inside and the blood had been scrubbed out of the walls and floor. The teens had stayed for as long as the adults let them to help clean. Kim was coming back downstairs from walking them out as Hayley had had to give them a ride home. Conner's car was still at the school.

"Yep," she said. "Though it was a fight."

"They're good kids."

"Are _you_ okay?"

Tommy looked over at her last question and she stood there, arms crossed and worried expression on her face. Tommy sighed. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Tommy, it's fine. I'm just surprised they actually attacked the lab," she muttered. Tommy laughed but there wasn't any humour in it.

"I doubt they'll do it again soon. Between you and the raptors, they wouldn't survive long." He ran his hand through her hair and pulled her close. She leaned into him, letting him do it. They were both quiet for a minute. "Remind me to tell both Black and Conner how impressed I was with them today."

"Why Conner?" She asked.

"In the jeep, when he found out why I was driving like a mad man, he stayed completely calm and gave me some options that didn't involve racing against Semis. They weren't the safest options, but they were better than what I was doing," he admitted. "He led and for once, I followed."

"Good for him," she said with a sense of pride. Conner was, after all, her main student. "How about we finish with the table. They were working on it earlier, but there's still a lot of it to clean up."

To be truthful, there was no more table. It had been completely trashed by the battle. Still, they needed to clean it up as well as everything under it that had been on top. "After the table, we're going to bed."

"Deal," Kim agreed, feeling tired and a little sore. She began to pick up some broken pieces of glass that had belonged to power only knew when she saw a sheet of paper lying in the middle of it. Confused, she picked it up and looked at it. "Tommy, come here."

"What is it, Kim?" He asked, slightly worried. She held it up so that she could see it to and his worried expression became a smile. He turned to see that she was smiling as well. She pocketed it and they finished cleaning, heading back upstairs so that they could get some sleep.

_Dear Kim and Doctor O,_

_After the talk yesterday, Ethan hacked into more of the video feed. You're right, Dimitria sucked. So, thanks. For being good mentors and stuff. –Kira_

_And for putting up with us, especially Conner. We're sorry we were a pain during the lesson. –Ethan_

_We thought that Kim was going to die. It freaks us out. So, no dying and we're writing this because if she would have died, she wouldn't have known we were sorry and how great she is. You too, Doctor O, but you didn't almost die. Did I mention no dying? –Conner _

_Thanks,_

_Conner, Ethan, and Kira_

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter was one of the more difficult ones that I've had to do in a while. That, along with this term of college ending, means that it also took a while to write. So, I want you all to know that next week I'm graduating college and my family is coming up for graduation. That means that I have to make sure the apartment is clean, get ready, do finals, and my sister will actually be staying with me. What this means to you guys is that the next chapter may not be out next week. I wanted to let all of you know beforehand. So, I'll do my best, but no promises.

There are a lot of things about this chapter that people might have questions on, and I don't know where to start. So, if you have any, just let me know in the reviews and I'll try to answer them in the author's notes next chapter. I will say that the death aspect in where they finally understood it to be more of a reality was based on my own experiences. At seventeen and eighteen, I knew people could die from speeding or driving upset or not paying attention, but there was still a large part of me that seemed to think that she was immortal until I was in college and got a wake up call. Consider this their first wake up call.

Finally, I know I said Kira/Trent in the beginning chapter, but no matter what it's not going to play a huge role in the story. I did it mostly because it was canon. That said, I'm not adverse to changing it to Kira/Conner as it isn't an overly important part of the story. I've already had one reader asking me to change it, so I thought I'd give the rest of you a change to say your piece as well, if it matters to you.

Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. As always, I appreciate them so much.


	8. Fair Break

**Chapter Eight: Fair Break**

"They might!" Hayley argued for the sixteenth time, arms folded and her face completely serious. Tommy, who'd been counting, just groaned and glanced over at Kim to see that she was being no help as she was trying not to laugh.

"Hayley, after the defeat that Kim and the raptors gave them, I doubt they're going to try anything like that again. Not on my house, not on the lab, and not on the café," Tommy tried to reason with her once again. "More than likely, they won't touch the café. While there is a chance that they might know you're connected to us, they probably don't know that the café has anything backed up and it's of no real strategic importance. There is no reason for them to attack it. Just like they haven't attacked the school."

"They could know. They knew about the lab," she fought back. Tommy just turned and looked at Kim for help, which she finally did.

"Hayley, the lab was easier to find. It was under Tommy's house. They know about Tommy, the house is in the directory, and he was stupid enough to build it underneath… like Batman. Remember how the Riddler and Two-Face tore apart the Batcave once they figured out that Bruce Wayne was Batman? It's the same philosophy," she explained as Tommy glared at her. Hayley nodded and then looked at her.

"I never pegged you for a Batman fan, Kim," she said and Kim looked a little embarrassed.

"I watched it for Val Kilmer. Mmm… Val Kilmer," she answered, closing her eyes and looking immensely happy.

"Okay, enough of that," Tommy said cutting in. Hayley shrugged.

"So, we should go back to your stupidity in building your lab underneath your house like an American icon does?" Hayley asked and Tommy groaned.

"I hate you both," he muttered. Kim finally took pity on him and stopped the teasing, turning her attention to the woman next to her. She wrapped an arm around Hayley, giving her a sympathetic look. The other woman looked just as distressed as she had been when she first realized that her café was in danger.

"If something does happen, then we'll help you clean it up and we'll get Zack to refinance it. I promise," she said, holding up her fingers in a girl scout promise. Hayley nodded a bit and relaxed, sitting back down in the chair near the computer.

"When did life get so complicated?" She asked. Kim shrugged.

"Somewhere after graduation. We should really warn the kids. Tell them to find a way never to grow up," Kim answered, grinning as she did so. Hayley laughed and even Tommy chuckled a bit. "Come on, life isn't that bad! Black is listening to Tommy now, the raptors are the ultimate form of lab protection, and other than a bruised wrist, I'm fine."

"That's true. Alright, we need to figure out exactly how intelligent they are," Hayley said.

"I'll agree with that," Tommy said and Kim shrugged.

"As long as it doesn't hurt them," she agreed and then paused. "How?"

Tommy shrugged and looked at Hayley. "How?"

"What are you, six?" Hayley asked with a laugh at Tommy's handling of the situation. He just gave her a look and she held up her hands. "We'll just have to ask them to do things and the like. After all, they don't speak our language."

"They don't speak, Hayley. They chirp," he muttered and Hayley shrugged.

"A wise man said 'The ability to speak does not make you intelligent' so we can't assume that just because they chirp, the raptors aren't intelligent," she said and Kim looked at her, hands on her hips.

"And who was that wise man?" She asked and Hayley looked sheepish.

"Does it really matter? The point is we can't judge on that," she said changing the subject back to its original topic. "Tell you guys what, I'll start to test them and you two come up with a relaxation plan for the team. I think we all need it."

"Hayley's right," Kim quickly agreed, dropping the previous subject. "After the lab's attack, we could all use a break."

"The fair is in town," Tommy mentioned. "We could take them there. Offer to buy their tickets, buy them lunch."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go finish planning. You in, Hayley?" Kim asked.

"I make it a rule not to miss out on fairs," she answered. "It's fun talking about the physics of the rides and getting people to run."

"That's true," Tommy agreed. "She did manage to get us on a lot of rides in half the time last time we went."

"Okay, Hayley, we'll plan, you test," Kim said and dragged Tommy upstairs. Hayley chuckled and called the four raptors over. While he didn't want her on his back, Red had no problem with Hayley and happily obeyed her request. She smiled as he stopped in front of her, the others following. "Okay, guys, here is what I need you to do…"

* * *

Red relaxed as Hayley finished her last test. Blue and Yellow ran off while Black continued to follow Hayley over to the computer and looked over her shoulder for a moment. Red turned away from Blue and Yellow, less than interested about the entire thing, though he did grab Black by the tail after a minute to drag him away from Hayley so that the younger raptor wasn't bothering her. Black chirped in protest and jumped on Red, who easily threw him off, though not into anything. Enough had been broken from the fight for the lab. "Well, guys, I don't know if it was the DNA, the cyberelectronics, or a mix, but you four are a lot smarter than the Zords." 

Red glanced over at her. He wasn't quite sure was 'smart' meant, but he knew he was whatever it was. After all, it sounded like a good thing. He guessed it was like instincts. He just chirped something in her direction for an answer and turned his attention back to Black. Finished with the job, she figured that she could go check on the other two. Hayley looked at the head raptor. "You know the routine, Red. Watch the lab."

She headed upstairs to where the two were sitting, writing things now and discussing the carnival. Kim glanced up. "Hi Hayley," she said, waving at her friend.

"You're not done yet?" Hayley asked, completely surprised. It had been a couple of hours after all. She glanced over and saw a sheet that read 'Carnival Plan' with ticket prices and estimated food prices written on it. Under that, they'd wrote down the price of tickets and two books next to everyone's name. The price of the tickets, the food, and the entry fee added up to a pretty good sum of money. She looked at the two of them incredulously. "You're a teacher and you work for me! How on earth are you going to pay for that?"

Neither looked up from what they were working on, but answered at the same time. "Zack."

"Doesn't Zack get tired of paying for the two of you?" She asked exasperatedly and both of the other two shook their heads.

"Nope," Kim answered. "He wants to help too and since he can't physically come here yet because of work, he makes up for it by giving us money. Lots and lots of money."

Hayley shook her head. "So, Zack is supplying the two of you with money to give to the kids. And we're not worried about spoiling them?"

"Nope," Kim answered again. "Not when it means I get extra cotton candy."

"I want to play the games," Tommy agreed, completely serious. Hayley threw up her hands.

"Are you two even listening to yourselves?" She asked and Kim grabbed the sheet with the figures, erased something and handed it back to her. Under Hayley's name, the number of ticket books increased from two books to four. Hayley looked at it, looked at her two companions, and smiled. "Remind me to thank Uncle Zack later."

Kim finally looked up at the other two adults. "So, who wants to tell the kids?"

* * *

"Seriously, Doctor O, you can tell us. We won't tell anyone," Conner promised to the continued amusement of both Kim and Hayley. Tommy groaned as they headed toward the entrance of the carnival. Kira and Ethan were discussing various aspects of the games and rides, but Conner had taken another topic up. 

"Conner, I promise you," he started, keeping his voice down. "I do not use my Ranger powers to blackmail, rob, beg, or anything to get extra spending money. I am not connected to the mafia. I am not stealing dogs in order to collect the reward money. I am not a secret agent in my lack of free time. Conner, it's legal. I promise."

"Then how can you afford it?" Conner asked for the umpteenth time. Tommy looked at Kim who shrugged.

"I wanted to tell him," she reminded her boyfriend. "You were the one who thought it would be better not too. Something about constant begging."

"Fine," Tommy snapped. "Then you tell them."

"Okay," she said and Tommy groaned as she called his bluff. "Ethan, Kira, come here please. Thank you. Alright, we're paying for you guys to get in, for the equivalent of two packets of tickets, and lunch which includes a dessert. Games, extra food, and extra tickets are your own responsibility. Zack, former Black, wanted to help out and this is his way of doing it since he can't get here. If you want, I can give you his address and you can send him a thank you card later. For now, let's go relax."

Tommy glared at her. "You know they're going to beg us for stuff now, right?"

Kim gave him a peck on the lips. "You worry too much," was her answer. "Six, please."

They headed in and bought the tickets, handing each teen their correct amount. Tommy looked at them. "Be back at around one, okay? That way, we can get lunch."

"I'm going on rides!" Conner said, having not heard their teacher.

"I'm playing some games!" Neither had Ethan.

"I'm going to go listen to the band!" Nor Kira.

"Guys. Guys!" Tommy called out, but the trio were already gone. Kim and Hayley looked at each other.

"I'm going on the roller coaster," Hayley decided, running off to Tommy's chagrin. Kim grinned at him.

"I want cotton candy!" She finished and put her arm in his. "Let them have fun, Handsome. They deserve it."

Tommy's expression softened and he nodded, sighing. "How about we get some cotton candy and I win you a stuffed animal?"

"I like that plan," she agreed and they wandered off toward the cotton candy.

* * *

Having used up over half his tickets already, Conner wandered off in search of Ethan or Kira. He still felt a little weird about being friends with them since they'd never been friends before nor had they even really talked to each other before, and now they were close. However, things had changed and they had changed from being the people they were. Besides, he did enjoying handing out with them. He looked around the music area for Kira first, but eventually gave up and headed toward the games. Fortunately, Ethan was still there and while it wasn't his normal type of games, he still seemed to be enjoying it. "Ethan, dude, you win anything?" 

Ethan motioned over to a pile of stuffed animals, pictures, and other assorted items on the ground. "Yep."

"Dude, what are you going to do with all of that?" He asked. Ethan paused and looked at Conner.

"I don't know," came his answer. "Do you think Kira would like it?"

"Probably. You could give some to Hayley and Kim too," he suggested, leaning against the booth next to his friend. Ethan nodded.

"Good idea," he answered and grinned. "Must have hurt."

"Shut up," Conner fought back good naturedly. "I'm almost out of tickets, but I thought I'd find you and Kira. See if you guys wanted to go on anything."

Ethan looked at the plethora of items in front of him and shrugged. "Sure. Where's Kira?"

"I was hoping you knew," Conner said honestly. "I looked over by the music, but she wasn't there."

"Maybe she's near the animals. Girls like animals, right?" Ethan suggested and Conner shrugged.

"Most girls do, but Kira isn't like most girls," he answered. "Worth a shot."

The two teens ran off in the direction of where the animals were being kept. Conner made sure to keep at a pace that Ethan could keep up with while Ethan did his best not to slow Conner down too much. It didn't help that each of them were carrying half of the items Ethan had won. "Dude, we are so dumping this stuff in the cars once we find Kira."

"Oh yeah," agreed Ethan. "Hey! There's Hayley. Maybe she's seen Kira."

"Yeah and we can give her some of this," Conner added. "'Cause I'm sick of carrying it."

Ethan nodded quickly. "Hayley! Hey! Hayley!"

The woman turned and walked toward them smiling. "Hey guys. Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yep," answered Conner cheerfully. "Have you seen Kira?"

"I think she was over there, with the rabbits. Why?" Hayley asked.

"We're just looking for her," Ethan said, shrugging. "Oh yeah, I won a few things for you. Here."

He handed her half of what he was carrying before she could protest. Conner handed some of what he was carrying to Ethan and they both just smiled and thanked Hayley before she could say anything as they ran off. The woman just shook her head and went in the direction of the car to dump the items there. "Teenagers," she muttered.

* * *

Kira leaned against the gate looking down at a well-groomed sheep lying on the ground, having moved on to a different animal by this point. It wasn't even bothering to look at her, but she was relaxed enough not to care. It was nice to know that even while being a Ranger, she was able to enjoy normal activities without worrying about it too much. She was broken out of her thoughts by a loud "Kira!" coming at her. She turned around and was face to face with a stuffed turtle. "Uh… guys?" 

"Ethan won a whole bunch of stuff," Conner explained as the one who was holding it up to her face. "And most of it wouldn't work for us, so we thought we'd give it to you."

Ethan nodded. "Besides, consider it a 'Thanks for putting up with Conner' present."

"Yeah… wait! Hey! I'm not that bad," Conner pouted and both of his friends laughed. Kira took the turtle and looked at the other prizes.

"Thanks, guys, but I'm not carrying all of that all the way back to the car," she told them and Conner managed to look insulted.

"Wasn't planning on asking you to, Kira," he promised her. "We just wanted to give it to you."

Ethan nodded in agreement and Kira shook her head. "You're both insane."

"And yet, you still stick around," Conner reminded her. "What's that say about you?"

"I enjoy free entertainment?" She bantered back. After they glared at her for a minute, they all busted out laughing on their way to drop the prizes off. They threw everything in the back seat and wandered back off toward the fair. "So, what are we doing now?"

"Conner wanted to go on some rides with us before he uses up all of his tickets," Ethan explained to her and Conner nodded.

"Sounds cool," Kira agreed. "Which one?"

"How about the Tilt-A-Whirl? It's something we can all go on together," Ethan suggested and Conner nodded.

"Cool," he agreed. "You in, Kira?"

"Of course. Let's go," she agreed, grabbing both boys and dragging them to it.

"Conner? Should we be letting her drag us anywhere?" Ethan asked.

"Dude, when a hot girl drags you, you go," Conner answered, though Kira hit him over the head for his troubles, temporarily letting go of Ethan. "Right, no more complimenting Kira."

"I think it's how you do it," Ethan teased. "Does that actually work?"

"On every other girl on the planet," Conner answered and looked a little disappointed. "Damn. I'm going to have to think up some specific ones for Kira."

"So that she's flattered?" Ethan asked.

"So I don't get hit," Conner answered. Kira gave both of them a look and rolled her eyes as they got in line.

"Boys."

* * *

Kim pulled off another piece of her cotton candy. "So, is your goal to beat every game here?" She asked, teasing her boyfriend a bit. 

"No, just the ones that are possible to win at," he answered, throwing another dart. Kim just nodded.

"Uh huh. Sure," she teased. She leaned back and watched him finish the game before leaning into him a bit. He handed her a stuffed tiger which she accepted and kissed him. He leaned into it enjoying the feeling. He wrapped his arms around her, just holding her for a minute before she pulled away and pointed to her cotton candy which was nearly gone. "I need more candy."

"You're not the only one," he teased and she smacked him in the arm.

"Tommy!" She scolded, but she joined in with his laughter. "And we should probably get some lunch."

Tommy groaned. "Which means the kids will be back soon to beg for money," he whined. Kim just patted his arm.

"Tommy, Kim, I need more money," a voice came from behind them and Hayley stood there looking at them sheepishly. Kim gave her a mock parenting look.

"You used up all of your tickets already, young lady…? And why is there no one in line for the roller coaster?" Kim asked, looking at her friend suspiciously.

"It was a long line and yes," Hayley answered. Kim burst out laughing and grabbed Tommy.

"I thought we were getting food," Tommy mentioned as Kim grabbed Hayley too.

"Are you nuts? Hayley's scared everyone off it already! We need to go now before they come back to their senses. Or lose them again. Whichever." It took them less than five minutes to get on the ride. It would have taken even less time, but when Hayley started to talk about it, Tommy put his hand over her mouth to make sure that she didn't make matters worse. Of course, that led to her biting him and a mock-stern lecture from Kim about how to treat women, but he had to admit that at least the ride was enjoyable, even if the women he was with were insane.

"Women."

* * *

The day ended eventually after three hyper teens nearly tackled their teacher to the ground in order to get money for food which was promptly used to buy as much junk food as they could afford; one genius café owner was banned from the roller coaster and other various rides after she scared half of the population of Reefside away from them and convinced other science wizards to back her up; one former ranger ate so much cotton candy that she made herself sick and then complained about how she wasn't able to eat more to her long-suffering boyfriend who proceeded to buy three more bags to take home just so he didn't have to listen to her; and one current science teacher Ranger who won too many items and had to hunt down various fair staff in order to buy some rope to tie the larger stuffed animals to the roof of the jeep and Conner's car. 

"So, did you guys have a good day?" Kim asked as they were relaxing in the lab, trying to get over the day. They were all tired, but there were resounding yes answers to the question which amused Kim to no end. To the complaints of the teens, she was sitting in Tommy's lap as she asked them, closing her eyes every so often from being so worn out. It was late by this point, they were going to have to send the kids home soon, but it had been a good day.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Yay! I had some free time! Not my best chapter, but I needed to write something light between the last chapter and the next chapter. I was able to finish this one before next week and since my family doesn't come up until tomorrow, I figured I'd get it posted. The next chapter does introduce the evil white Ranger, so it's going to be darker again. The one after it will probably be darker too, but then I'll do a lighter chapter again.

Two items in this story are actually things some of my friends do: the roller coaster one and the giving away prizes one. Yes, I do have friends that use physics as a weapon, though it doesn't work as well as it does in the story. It does, however, get some people out of the line.

And Conner/Kira wins! It might actually work better for me like that since I like Conner more than Trent anyway. I'll change the first page that has the pairings when I have time.

And thank you for the reviews again. I appreciate them so much!


	9. White Strife

**Chapter Nine: White Strife**

"Kim?" The teenager's voice caused the former Ranger to jump into the air a bit. She hadn't realized she'd been so out of it and was glad that it wasn't something more sinister that had caught her off-guard. She glanced over and saw Conner looking at her with a bit of worry in his eyes, obviously noticing her distress. "You okay?"

She shook it off and forced a smile in his direction. Anyone else, she would have muttered an "I'm fine" and moved on, but she wanted Conner to continue trying to care about people. He'd made so much progress that she didn't want to accidentally ruin it for him. "I'm just distracted. I have a bad feeling about something or another. Woman's intuition."

"What kind of bad? Doctor O forgot your anniversary bad," Conner asked and lowered his voice considerably. "Or Mesagog is going to kill us all in our dreams tonight."

Kim gave him a playful look. "I thought I told you to lay off the horror movies, Conner," she teased. "After the _Exorcist_ incident…"

"I'm telling you, Kim. Her head really did spin around and she talked in this really creepy voice…" he answered, halfway as playful. He still looked a little freaked out by the incident. Kim laughed and shook her head.

"Conner, her head did not spin around and she was about eighty-years-old! Of course she talked funny. She was just a normal, everyday substitute," Kim said soothingly.

"Who is going to kill us all," Conner insisted, but dropped it. Ethan personally agreed with him, especially after she took away some of his cards. Both pushed that she was one of Mesagog's monsters in disguise and had followed her around for about three hours waiting for her to do something conspicuous. Kira had finally dragged both of them back to the café, dumped them at the couch, and told Doctor O, Hayley, and Kim to watch them like hawks to make sure that they didn't leave and bother the elderly woman. "Besides, this isn't about my insight. It's about your feelings. So, do I need to worry about someone killing me in my dreams or not?"

"No more than usually," his mentor answered with fake cheerfulness. Her expression turned back to a softer smile and she looked at him. "I'm sure it's nothing, Conner. Thank you for snapping me out of it, though. Hayley's probably about ready to murder me."

"Nah. She looked over about a minute ago, threw up her hands, and muttered something about bothering to try or something like that. Anyway, it's slow," he said cheerfully, relaxing on the couch. Kim nodded and rushed past him to continue to do her job, apologizing to both Hayley and Trent. Trent just shrugged it off and Hayley shook her head.

"Are you okay?" She asked her friend. "If you're not, tell me so I can let you go home."

Making sure that no one was listening, including Conner, Kim looked at Hayley seriously. "I'm sorry, Hayley. My intuition is going haywire. Something is going to happen, I know it is, but I don't know what. It's distracting me pretty hard. Tommy told me not to worry about it but…"

"Yes, let's listen to the man who ignores his instincts," Hayley said dryly. "If he listened more, he'd probably have less trouble. How about if after I close, we clean up and head back to the lab, look at the computer and see if we can find anything."

"Thanks, Hayley. I'll keep myself together until then," she promised and the two women smiled and nodded.

"Uh, guys?" Trent called over, looking a little overwhelmed as a large group of teenagers walked in and both of his coworkers were talking. Kim rushed over, telling Trent that she had this table, and Hayley went to get ready to make smoothies. Trent flashed them both a thankful look and went back to work.

* * *

"At least we don't have to worry about Tommy's grumbling," Kim mentioned as they both were seated at the computer. "I think I like after test days right now."

"It's working in our benefit, that's for sure," Hayley agreed. She was running everything she could and wasn't coming up with too much in the city at least. "Well, if it's something easy to get to, we can't find it."

"That's not what I'm worried about. What if Mesagog has something?" She asked and Hayley shrugged.

"We'll find out eventually?" She offered and Kim laughed.

"Hayley," she answered, giving her friend a playful look. "Conner's worried that it's going to kill us in our sleep."

"You talked about it with Conner?" Hayley groaned. "We're still trying to convince him that the teacher is just a normal woman."

"I know, I know, but he wanted to know what was wrong," she answered. "It's the same as when you put up with Ethan trying to backdoor half of the lab because you thought it would be good for him to know."

Hayley thought about this for a moment. "Maybe we're not the best mentors ever. Is Tommy letting Kira get away with anything?"

"Not that I know of, but both of them are good at keeping secrets too," answered Kim before hitting the desk with her hand as the next segment of results came up. "Nothing!"

"It's okay, Kim, we'll figure it out," Hayley said, trying to soothe her, looking at her watch as she did. "I should get home."

"Thanks, Hayley. I know it was nothing, but I appreciate you looking into it with me," Kim answered and Hayley shrugged.

"It's nothing yet. Maybe we just can't get to the problem yet," she suggested. Kim nodded.

"Good point. Are you hungry? Thirsty? I can get you something from the kitchen," she suggested and Hayley shook her head.

"Thanks anyway. See you tomorrow, Kim," she answered and after a quick hug, headed out the door. Kim headed upstairs as well, though slower.

"I just hope I'm wrong…"

* * *

Hayley sighed along with her friend as their communicators, respectively, went off. "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered and Kim nodded. The former Ranger motioned that she'd answer it while Hayley continued to handle the café.

"Tommy? What's wrong?" Kim asked, trying not to sound exasperated.

"Kim? It's Conner," the voice on the other side answered. Kim pushed her annoyance back even further. "Doctor O wanted me to tell you that there was another Dino gem, but it's not here anymore so someone else has it."

Kim inwardly growled, but kept her voice completely calm for her student. "Thank you, Conner. Hayley or I will head back to the house to see what we can find, okay?"

"Got it, Kim," he answered.

"Oh! And Conner?" She called out quickly.

"Yeah?" He answered, sounding a bit nervous. She couldn't blame him. He recognized her concealed calmness at this point.

"Tell Doctor Oliver that he and I are going to have a little chat about forcing his students to tell me things that he should. Especially when they're to be followed by a 'Oh! You were right, Kim'. Can you do that for me please?" She asked sweetly and she heard Conner snicker.

"You got it!" He answered happily. Before he had completely turned it off, she heard him begin to relay the message. "Hey Doctor O! I so don't want to be you, Dude…"

She chuckled at the young man's amusement and headed back out to find Hayley, pulling her aside. "You or me?" She asked.

"Go," Hayley answered. "Just don't pummel him until I get there."

"Promise," she answered and raced out of the café toward the house. Tommy was there by the time she got there and he looked about as happy as her. "We'll talk later."

He just nodded and looked back at the screen. Kim smiled at the three teens who were trying not to look anxious or bored at the lack of action. Though, when something finally showed up that they could fight, she noticed that they were a little eager to do it.

"My feeling is back," she said. "Okay, less back as more stronger."

"Do I need to apologize now?" Tommy snapped.

"Nope. Focusing on the kids. I just thought you might want to know. Though you didn't before…" she said.

"Kim…"

"Just saying," she said, taking a perverse pleasure from the annoyance her boyfriend was radiating. "They're there."

"I noticed."

"Why aren't you there?"

"I'm mentoring," he growled.

"You can mentor on the field," she said casually, not taking her eyes off the screen. Tommy dropped it, not really wanting to fight right now. "What the hell…?"

_"You guys saw that, right?"_ Conner asked.

"Yeah," Tommy answered. "We're just trying to figure out what it is."

_"We'll follow it,"_ Conner said.

"For the love of God, be careful!" Kim warned. "That feeling? Worse."

_"Got it."_

Kim sat back and looked as nervous as her partner. "I just hate sitting here, waiting."

Tommy just nodded.

* * *

"Tommy, our Rangers are getting their asses kicked. Move!" Kim snapped at they went flying back again. Tommy nodded, powered up and left to join them while Kim studied the new ranger's moves. At least her intuition had died down, so this was the only problem they had to worry about right now. They went flying back again and she growled. "Conner, goddamn it, duck! When he shoots things at you, you don't just stand there!"

_"Sorry, Kim,"_ she heard him mumble. Nodding to herself, she watched the new Ranger.

"Obviously evil," she muttered. "Not listening to reason, attacking others, looking for a fight… yep. Definitely evil."

_"We don't want to hurt you, just tell us why you're here,"_ she heard Tommy tell the new Ranger. She didn't realize that her head hit the table until she felt the pain from the impact. Holding her head as she picked it back up, she just stared for a minute at the screen. He was at least as fast as Conner, he had a weapon that could hurt them, and he was obviously messing around with them instead of trying his hardest. Even Ethan's gun had bounced off of him. Without knowing more, they were setting themselves up for the slaughter.

"Shit," she whispered and turned to the communication. "Tommy, get them back here!"

_"We've got it handled, Kim,"_ he argued back. Kim slammed her hand down on the desk.

"We need to figure out a way to beat him. You're not winning!" She called back. There wasn't a response. She looked at the screen to make sure that he was alright and was surprised to see that he was still standing. Her eyes flickered over to the monitor to make sure there wasn't a problem in the computer. There wasn't. "Tommy? Oh, you so aren't ignoring me. Tommy!"

She watched as he took control and threw her hands up. She turned to the only ace she could think of. "Conner, listen to me. You need to get them out of there."

_"We can do it,"_ the boy argued, though anything else he was about to say was lost as Kira and Ethan's energy was absorbed. He stood there, unable to do anything until they fell to the ground.

"Conner! Now!" Kim screamed. She might not have been able to see his expression, but she could tell that it freaked him out understandably. Even though it was directly talked about, it was understood that ranger power translated into your own energy eventually which was why they were weaker at this point. He shook his head to come back to reality.

_"Okay,"_ he said weakly back to her and proceeded to try to help them up. Tommy, on the other hand, would have none of it. He charged at the White Ranger and his own power was absorbed. _"Kim, I can't get them out of here myself…"_

"I've got it handled. Just hang on and try to keep your powers up as long as possible," she told him, keeping her voice calm and gentle though she wanted to scream like before. She turned around. "Red, go bring them back."

The raptor lifted his head, bobbed it, and chirped. Immediately all four raptors were up and ready to go, racing out the door. Kim waited and watched. Conner fought back, talking to him even, and she wasn't sure if the boy was serious or trying to stall, but either way it didn't work. The white Ranger threw him against the wall and Conner's armour crashed away. Helpless, he tried to pick himself back up and Kim could only watch as the others limped over to help him up. The white Ranger headed toward them, holding his weapon up. He paused for a moment and then shook it off as if he were having second doubts. It was long enough. A loud chirping hit the air and Red leapt over a building, leading the way for the others. The white Ranger accepted this as a good time to leave. "Consider this a warning," he told them before disappearing.

Kim relaxed as the raptors calmly went over to their human and stopped, waiting for the powered down Rangers to get on and getting them back to the lab before anyone could see. Fortunately, the fighting ground had been long abandoned and the Raptors were quick. They didn't have to worry about their identities for the moment. She saw Conner looking over the others as best her could as all of them were completely dependant on the raptors to help keep them on. He looked upset and Kim promised herself to tell him that this wasn't his fault. They entered back in through the tunnels and the doors opened. All four raptors bent down so it was easier to get off before moving away for the Rangers to move.

She looked them over and wasn't surprised to see that they were all in bad shape. If they weren't Rangers, she would have been driving them to the hospital. The way that Conner held his side told her that his ribs were bruised, Kira's ankle was obviously sprained. Ethan's shoulder was dislocated and Tommy had various injuries. Kim turned to Ethan. "Come here," she said softly, happy when he obeyed. She quickly and professionally relocated it to the surprise of the others. "I was a gymnast," she reminded them. "It happened. Are you four alright?"

They all mumbled yes and assured her that they would be. Conner waited until they were done and looked completely destroyed. "I am so sorry."

"For what?" She asked, making him sit down. Ranger or not, his ribs were still bruised and trying to help Kira over to a chair wasn't a good idea for him right now. Ethan did it instead, sitting down next to her.

"I should have listened when you told me to come back the first time," he answered and Kim paused before she answered.

"You did fine, Conner," she promised and her former agreement with Tommy went out the window. She loved her boyfriend, but if he wanted to act like a child, she'd treat him like one. She whirled around to face him. "You, on the other hand, what were you thinking?! I told you that we didn't know enough! I told you to get out of there! And worst, you took over, Tommy! Being the leader is Conner's job, not yours and he did a hell of a better job than you did today. He listened to my opinions and tried his best to keep his team safe. He asked for help when he knew all of you needed it. He tried to keep him off of all of you when you went charging at him. You saw what he did to Ethan and Kira! They didn't know he could do that! Conner was ready to leave when that happened. The two of you could have gotten Kira and Ethan out of there! Goddamn it, you could have gotten them killed!"

"You weren't there, Kim!" He snapped back. The teens had moved away as much as they could and Ethan was even whispering into the computer to call Hayley. They were a little scared over the whole thing and Hayley often seemed like she could calm them down. After least, they were all pretty sure she could probably knock them out. Either way, they didn't want to try to handle it themselves. Not Tommy because he was a Ranger like them and more experienced and not Kim since she was a former Ranger and was in Mother Hen Mode.

"No, I wasn't. I was watching everything, Tommy. I was examining him and you know what I realized? You didn't know what you were up against! Just because you were evil and came back from it, doesn't mean he will!" She yelled. If Tommy had still been the green Ranger, his eyes would have glowed green.

"Don't go there, Kim," he said quietly, but deadly.

"I'm right," she answered, her voice the same. "You risked them because you were trying to get through to him. It won't work."

"It did with me!" Tommy yelled.

"Only when we destroyed the sword!" She fought back. All of the former Rangers tried to stay away from the topic of Tommy's time as an evil Ranger because he felt guilty for it. Kim was usually one of the biggest proponents of the unspoken rule, but this was different. He was an adult and they were responsible for the teens in their care. "Tommy, you nearly killed Jason!"

Tommy stared at her and the room was silent. Both adults were fuming, but the yelling had stopped. The teens, who had moved back in their seats as much as possible waited for them to start up again, but they didn't. There was just silence. Tommy finally spoke. "I'm going out. Call me if there's trouble."

Kim didn't bait him. She just nodded, once, and let him walk out. She calmed herself back down and faced the other three, who like their mentor was pulling themselves up and their injuries were finishing healing. Still annoyed, she glanced around and picked up a few beanbags that they used in training deciding that they needed a lesson in something else right now. Without letting them know what she was doing, she threw one at each of the Rangers, who quickly dodged them out of instinct. Conner looked up at her sheepishly as she stood there with her hands on her hips and a half-way amused smile on her face. "Why couldn't you three have done that when he was shooting things at you, huh? I know you didn't know what he was capable of, but 'arrows' doesn't even remotely sound like he'd going to give you flowers."

"Sorry, Kim," all three said, looking embarrassed. She sighed and then laughed.

"We did it too," she told them. "Are you three okay?"

"Yeah," said Conner for all of them. "We're fine."

"How about some pizza, huh?" She asked them, trying to lighten the mood a bit. They all nodded, hungry and tired.

"You, uh, might want to get some for Hayley too. She's sort of on her way over," Kira mentioned. Kim looked at her, remembered the conversation and nodded.

"Fair enough. Don't worry guys, we'll get this handled," she told them.

* * *

Tommy hadn't realized how long he'd been sitting in the woods by himself until he heard footsteps. Glancing up, he saw Jason Scott walking toward him calmly, though tiredly. Tommy couldn't blame him. It was getting late, he'd probably been teaching students, and he apparently had driven all the way from Angelgrove to see Tommy. "What are you doing here?" That didn't mean that he wanted to see him.

"Hayley called. Apparently, she heard your fight over the communicator when the teens called her," Jason said, sitting down himself. "She said you might need a friendly ear or your ass kicked. Whichever I had time for."

"She's not happy, huh?" Tommy asked, though more out of habit than out of interest.

"Nope and neither am I. I hate seeing you guys fight. So, what happened?" He asked.

"There's a new Ranger. A white one. An evil white one," Tommy answered. "I tried to take care of the problem, Kim freaked out. We fought."

"Okay, now tell me why Kim freaked out and why you're acting like as ass, even to me," he suggested. His arms were folded by this time and he was leaning back against a tree.

"She thought I put them at risk," he answered.

"You mean she thought you let Conner, right?" Jason asked and Tommy winced inwardly. Even Jason, who hadn't been there, was doing better at remembering to let Conner lead. At his look, Jason sighed. "It's not easy, is it?"

"What?" He asked.

"Letting go," Jason answered. "I remember having had a hard time with letting you take over and there wasn't a ten year difference there."

"He hasn't had to deal with it," Tommy answered. "I have. I was where the white Ranger is now."

"Possibly," Jason agreed. "Maybe not though. You're assuming he'd under a spell or something, but some humans are bad. You know that. It's just so close to you, that you see yourself there instead this other guy. It doesn't help that the color is white either. It's no secret white was your favorite."

"So, what are you saying? That I should just forget everything I know? That I should just kill the new Ranger? That I shouldn't even try?" Tommy asked and Jason shook his head.

"No, I'm saying let Kim work with you. She was there too," he said softly. "It was hard on all of us and after Zack rescued me, I had to spend a good amount of time convincing Trini and Kim that I was alright. It scares her to think that she could lose you… or Conner. He's the red Ranger now, so he might get targeted. Try to save the new Ranger, but don't do it at the cost of the others. Especially when you don't know if he's under some sort of influence or acting of his own free will."

"I should probably apologize, huh?" Tommy asked and Jason nodded.

"I would, but that's because I like sleeping with Trini. You don't have that problem yet. 'Course, if you don't apologize, you'll never have the chance…" Jason suggested and Tommy laughed. "How about we stay out here for a while and just talk. You look like you could use that."

"You need to visit more often, Bro," Tommy said. "How's Trini?"

"Away again and I know. I'll try. So, how's class?" Jason asked and they both relaxed.

* * *

"So," Hayley asked as Kim brought her the newest order. "You and Tommy talk it out?"

"Sort of," Kim answered. "We're not fighting anymore, but we're not okay either. Oh! Extra strawberries in that one. Anyway, it's not easy right now. We're both a little tired and grouchy."

"So I heard," Hayley answered. "At least Jason was able to talk some sense into him."

"If there is a human being on this planet that I'd trust to do that, it's Jason," Kim agreed. She looked down at her list. "Banana for the next one. We're just working it out the best we can, you know? But until this is over, I think our relationship is going to be strained."

"Whipped cream? It's a hard subject and not one you guys were ready to deal with. Okay, it's ready," Hayley continued and Kim took the tray.

"Thanks, Hayley. There's Ethan and Kira. Maybe they've seen Trent," Kim suggested as she went to deliver the smoothies and taking down the next order. She glanced over to see the young man enter as Hayley walked off. "Or she could have turned around."

Kim moved to finish up with what she was doing when she heard the crash behind her. She looked over to see Trent on the ground and frowned, racing over to help Hayley pick him up, hearing her tell him to take time off. "Hayley's right, Trent," she assured him. "We have it handled. Go get some rest."

Trent nodded and walked out, leaving Hayley and Kim alone. Hayley looked at her friend. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing, yet," she answered. "Just a little surprised he's not doing well."

"You're lying," Hayley informed her and Kim nodded.

"Yes I am, but I need to for right now, okay?" She asked and Hayley nodded.

"Of course," Hayley answered and they both groaned when the communicators beeped for them. "And apparently you look tired too. You need to take time off as well."

"This is not a good day," Kim decided and Hayley nodded with a slight smile.

"You're not the one stuck doing everything yourself," she teased. "Now go home."

Kim nodded and raced off, wondering what it was this time.

* * *

Tommy filled her in by communicator since when she got to the house they had already left. She flipped the two cameras so that she could watch them both. She kept a close eye on Conner and Kira, even laughing a bit when Conner admitted that he wasn't sure how to use the device. Red nosed his way over to watch, not really knowing what was going on but it seemed like the right thing to do. "They're looking for Dino eggs."

Red bobbed his head. He knew what an egg was since he'd been in one at one point. Besides, that's what they'd been looking for when they found Black. Kim watched the screens closely and turned all of her attention to Conner and Kira when she saw what they saw. _"Let's just kick his butt and take his egg."_

_"Yeah, I like that plan better," _Kira agreed. They started out, but Kim quickly hissed at them through the communicators.

"Guys? Maybe you should morph first?" She suggested. Conner looked sheepish, but quickly did the call with Kira before they confronted the white Ranger. Kim sighed, but looked pleased that they listened. Hopefully, next time he'd think of it himself just as they remembered her words from last time and ducked when the arrows came their way this time. Yes, this battle was going much better for them, though not great as they continued to get pummeled. Still, they were doing better than they could have been doing.

The computer threw a fit and the new monster of the day showed up on it. Kimberly groaned and reached over. "Tommy, Ethan, there's a slight problem…"

_"Got it. Can you call Conner and Kira?" _Tommy requested and she thought for a moment.

"How about one out of two?" She suggested. "Their egg? The white Ranger is messing with it. I'd like for Conner to try to get it before it's too late."

_"I can do it. That way, they'll have all of the zords."_

"I'd agree, but Conner is there now," she reminded him. "Besides, what if you run into trouble?"

"_What if you come with me?" _He suggested. _"You can get the egg while I hold him off."_

"Alright," she agreed and went to tell Conner and Kira the bad news and donned her red cape, jumping on Red's back to get there quicker. Hayley had taken over, from the café, to make sure everything went to plan. Unfortunately, and unknown to Kim at first, the birth of the Parazord caused Tommy to be later than he would have liked, meaning she was there alone. "Stay here, Red."

She left her cape with Red, who look anxious for a fight but did as she asked, and she crept in instead running. She knew which way to go, having watched Kira and Conner, but she was getting rather nervous about her lack of backup. She waited where Kira and Conner had for a while, but he was taking too long for her liking. "Tommy," she whispered into the communicator. "Where are you?"

_"Almost there, Kim. Just hold on,"_ he assured her. She nodded, even though he couldn't see it, and heard him enter. She started to relax when she heard something attack him. Her eyes widened and she nearly groaned when she heard Zeltrax. No, he wasn't going to be able to help her right now. Without Tommy there, she really was a sitting duck. She sighed and reached to her communicator.

"Hayley?" She started. "Can you send me Red?"

_"Sure, of course. Why?"_

"Tommy found Zeltrax. If I'm going to try this, I'm on my own," she answered and she could almost hear Hayley shaking her head.

_"Bad idea,"_ her friend answered. _"Without Ranger powers, you could get killed."_

"That's why I need Red," she answered, relieved when she saw the raptor coming toward her. "Thanks, Hayley."

_"Don't thank me. I hadn't done anything yet,"_ came her answer, sounding a bit confused. Her voice immediately became full of warning after a minute though. _"You're going to die."_

"Probably," Kim answered. She heard Hayley's sigh, but the other woman gave up. "See you on the flip side."

_"Yeah, yeah. Just remember to duck."_

She looked at Red. "Go, attack."

She didn't have to tell the raptor twice. He moved like a mad creature, determined to get to the Ranger. The white Ranger was taken by surprise when the tail hit him, knocking him away from the egg. Kim took the opportunity to sneak in, trying to stay as hidden as possible. She headed slowly for the egg as Red continued to fight the white Ranger. She reached for it, hoping that it wasn't too late, when she heard Hayley's voice through the communicator, nearly screaming. _"Kim! It's hatching! Get away from it!"_

"Shouldn't I grab it then?" She asked.

_"Not unless you want to be Dino Chow!"_ Hayley answered. _"There's enough dark energy coming off of that thing to arm a fleet of Zords!"_

"Oh shit," Kim answered and did move away from it.

"Oh shit is right," she heard from behind her and that was the last thing she saw before she went flying. The white Ranger headed toward her, but stopped when he saw that the egg was hatching.

Kim waited until she was sure he was distracted and glancing over at Red. The raptor was damaged, sliced up a bit, and could barely move. She knew how he felt. He pulled himself up and dragged himself to the stairs. She moved to try to take the white rangers helmet since having been a Power Ranger herself, she knew it wasn't difficult, but he threw her back when he felt her hand. This time, she didn't try again. There would be other opportunities. Seeing the lack of time that was left anyway, Kim quickly followed Red, half-carrying the raptor up the stairs, and was relieved when she saw Tommy.

"Too late, bad anyway, run!" She told him and he helped her drag the raptor up the stairs. The building shook as the creature grew, beginning to cause the building to cave in on itself.

"Kim, we're not going to make it," Tommy hissed. "We need to go, now!"

"We can't just leave him, Tommy!" She argued as Red pulled himself to the best of his dwindling ability. "We're almost there!"

"Fine, I'm wearing the suit. You get out. We'll be right after you," he told her as things fell around them. She was about to agree, but she saw an opening.

"Tommy over there! Hurry!" She told him. She turned to Red. "Put everything you have into it, Red. We'll get you home."

Red managed to half-way run on the flat ground using the rest of his energy while Kim and Tommy ran beside him. More fell and Kim dodged it, knowing they were running out of time. She felt something pick her up and looked to see Tommy carrying her out. She didn't complain since he was faster than her even without the suit. They fell outside, watching the building seemingly explode to their eyes. They both stared at the new Zord as Red's eyes darkened. "It's not over yet," Tommy whispered.

"Maybe not for us, but Red is down," Kim answered. Her adrenaline plummeted and the effects of being thrown aside like a rag doll started to kick in. "I'd like to sit the rest of this one out too."

"Stay still, Kim," Tommy told her and she gave a quick nod, until the Dragozord began to flap its wings. While behind it at first, eventually the creature began to take to the air, causing things to go flying every which way. Tommy stood over her to make sure that none of it hurt her, but both were relieved when it was finished taking off. Until, of course, it began to take down the Zords. Tommy did everything he could, but by the end of it, the teens were without Zords and the white Ranger was winning.

"Kira, Conner, Ethan! Are you three alright?" Tommy asked, running over to where they'd fallen. Kim picked herself up and dragged herself over as well.

"Yeah, but our Zords are seriously tweaked," Conner answered. Tommy nodded and they got to work. Working together, they managed to save the Stegozord and the white Ranger left. None of them complained, happy enough that the white Ranger was leaving. Tommy turned back to Kim.

"You need to lie down," he told her and she just nodded. She was about to say something back to him, but was interrupted by Conner.

"Hey! Who broke my raptor?!"

* * *

"You do realize that they're going to be back in like an hour, right?" Kim asked in regard to letting the trio have a break before something worse happened. Tommy gave her a look.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked her, ignoring her previous question. She shrugged.

"That getting the egg from the psychopath seemed like a good plan," she suggested. "Not my best idea ever, but if it hadn't already been too late, I would have had it!"

"Until he noticed you had it," Tommy snapped. "Then you would have been a dead woman on the ground."

"Thanks for the support," she growled.

"You're human, Kim!" He yelled. "Not a Ranger, not an alien, just a normal everyday human!"

"Gee, sorry about that. I'll just go grab a gem and fix that. Oh! Right! You already grabbed it!" She yelled back. "Speaking of gems, why didn't you go invisible anyway? Then you could have gotten your happy little ass down to where I was without having to worry about Zeltrax!"

"Because! I… didn't… think about it," he answered, his confidence draining as he realized his mistake. "Oops."

Kim reached out to him and he headed over, holding her. "I didn't think about it either. We didn't have cool invisibility powers. Besides, we made it through it."

"Does this mean that you forgive me?" He asked.

"No, but I'm willing to put it aside until this is over," she offered. "Face it, Tommy, we just don't have the time to talk this out right now."

He nodded and turned to see Hayley coming down the stairs anyway. He motioned in the direction of Red. Hayley sighed, but nodded and went to work, fixing Red. Kim got up and started to work on finding out who the white Ranger was while Tommy went to work trying to find weaknesses. There wasn't much conversation between them.

* * *

"I… hate… being… left… behind," Kim muttered as they all ran out. She heard Hayley chuckle behind her and she shot the other woman a look. "When this is over, remind me to have Zack repay you for having to shut down the café again."

"Don't worry about it. For some reason, people just don't want to have a latte while the fate of the world is at stake," she joked. "How are they doing?"

"Well, Ethan's getting surrounded by Tyrannodrones, Tommy and Kira are fighting with auxiliary Zords, and I'm not sure if Conner is going to be able to get back up," Kim answered, worried. "So, not well."

"That bad?" Hayley asked. Kim nodded, but then stopped.

"Or Conner just made a breakthrough and he's kicking ass," she corrected herself. Hayley rushed over to see what was going on. Kim grinned. "Atta boy."

_"It looks like you won't have to worry about the white Ranger anymore."_

"Oh, he's not stupid enough to fall for that, is he?" Kim asked and groaned as he started to. Hayley put a hand on her shoulder.

"Never doubt the gullibility of teenagers," she answered.

"Conner! He's faking! Even if he's not faking, good job! You did your job, I'll bake you a cake now don't go near him!" Kim snapped. The rest of it didn't seem to phase him, but the cake made him pause.

"A big one?" He asked, but that was pushed aside at the sight before him. "Whoa!"

The white Ranger pulled himself up, deciding that the ruse wasn't working and charged him. Conner managed to dodge out of the way, but the white Ranger hit hard and strong. Kim nearly screamed when he didn't get back up. "Conner!"

_"Kim? I can't get up," _he told her, still trying as the white Ranger advanced.

"Like hell you can't. Get up!" She yelled back at him, standing up and placing both hands on the computer. Considering her own injuries, she knew that she shouldn't be moving much, but it was as if she was to force him to do it from where she was. She fell back in her seat when she saw Mesagog show up. Hayley squeezed her shoulder as they both could only watch, knowing what the other was thinking. They were going to lose him. Both women screamed when Zeltrax attacked him again. The conversation was short between the white Ranger and Mesagog, but it seemed to go on forever. The white Ranger may have left, but the others were still there and Conner was still down. By this time, both women were holding each other, powerless to do anything.

_"Shall I finish him, Master?"_ Zeltrax asked and Kim couldn't watch. She turned away, tears in her eyes, wondering if there was anything else she could have taught him, showed him to keep it from ending like this.

_"No, our new friend has a fascination with the red one. I shall let him live in hopes that he will lead us to the white Ranger,"_ the monster answered. Kim felt the tears fall at this point with new relief as they left. Ethan arrived quickly after and Kim didn't feel as bad about just crying instead of being able to see what was going on. It was taking everything she had not to faint.

_"Conner!" _Ethan yelled.

_"E-Ethan?" _Conner asked, seeing his friend. Then he did what his body asked him to: He promptly passed out.

* * *

Considering that the two sides began to fight each other, there really wasn't a problem with Ethan taking Conner back to the lair. Kira and Tommy stayed behind to make sure that nothing else happened, but it was necessary to get Conner back since he was unconscious. He drove him back and helped Kim get him down from the bike when they stopped. "Is he going to be alright, Kim?" Ethan asked, worried considering that Conner had powered down when he went unconscious.

"He'll live, Ethan," she answered. "Which is more than he would be if Mesagog had decided to let Zeltrax kill him."

"He stopped him? Why?" Ethan asked.

"Hoping he'll lead the white Ranger to him," Kim answered, setting him on one of the new tables. "It worked in our favor for once."

Ethan nodded and began to relax when they heard Conner moan. Kim smiled down as he opened his eyes. "Oww."

"It's going to hurt for a little while, Conner," she told him. "Try not to move too much for a bit."

Conner nodded and looked at Ethan. "Thanks, Man," he told him and Ethan nodded, not really saying too much. Conner forced a smile. "What took you so long?"

"Well, there was this new game coming out and since I was passing by the store… I was attacked by Tyrannodrones!" Ethan answered, slightly annoyed. He continued to mutter to himself. "What took me so long…"

Kim patted his shoulder and looked at Conner. "You feeling better now?" She asked. "Less dizzy?"

"Yeah, I think so," he told her, the Ranger healing kicking in at full force.

"Good," she told him calmly and her expression quickly changed. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Conner hadn't know before that point, nor had Ethan, that a small woman like Kim could go from looking like she couldn't hurt a fly to a capable and deadly looking woman in less than three seconds. Still, she looked furious, worried, and scared all at the same time, similar to a mother bird who just finished protecting her nest and was waiting for a second predator. Her hands her on her hips and she headed toward him, let her arms down and threw them around him. Conner, embarrassed, pat her back and looked at Ethan mouthing 'help'. Ethan for his part had backed away, nervous she'd grab him next. "I'm okay. No more scaring you. Got it."

Hayley gently led Ethan back over and pulled Kim off of Conner. "You're going to add to his injuries," she said teasingly and Kim backed off. Hayley looked at Conner. "We, uh, watched the whole thing."

Conner nodded and looked at Ethan. "Go watch the computer," he told him. Ethan looked at him in confusion. "Just do it."

Ethan looked at Conner and then at Kim. "Oh, uh… bye," he said and headed over to the computer. Hayley went back to work on Red. Conner looked around, making sure no one was watching and nodded to Kim.

"Go ahead," he told her, holding out his arms. She leapt at the chance and Conner hugged her back. "Seriously, I'm okay."

"I know. But I still get to panic. It's part of the job," she told him, letting him go. "Just try not to die. I'm keeping with my part of the bargain, thank you both for the letter by the way, but I need you not to either."

"Got it. No dying," he told her.

"Dying?" A new voice rang through the cave and Kim looked over at Kira, demorphed and looking surprised. "Who's dying?"

"Conner almost died," Ethan said helpfully. "But he didn't."

"Oh," she said and walked over to Ethan, smacking him in the shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" He demanded.

"Where were you?" She asked and Ethan through up his hands.

"Why does everyone assume I was off doing something instead of trying to get to Conner? Tyrannodrones. Lots of them. Attacked me. I was stalled," Ethan told her, completely annoyed by this point. Conner laughed a bit and Ethan looked over. "And why are you laughing?"

"Sorry, Man, I'm just used to being the one who gets yelled at," he told him with a grin. "Your turn."

"Enough," Tommy told them. "I'm glad you're okay, Conner."

"Thanks, Doctor O," he said and his eyes widened. "The egg finder! I left it when I had to run and after the white Ranger tore into us. I should go get it."

"I'll get it. You get home. You going to be okay enough to get there?" He asked and Conner nodded. "Good. Ethan, Kira…"

"We got it, Doctor O," they promised and helped their teammate home. Kim and Hayley looked at him.

"Be careful," Hayley told him.

"I'll be fine," he promised and Kim folded her arms, looking at him. "I will."

"We'll talk when you get back," Kim said and he nodded at that, but didn't say much else. They were trying to be civil, but they were still angry, still fighting even if they couldn't deal with it right this moment. She sat at the computer, watching him walk off.

"You're going to forgive him, right?" Hayley asked and Kim sighed.

"It's a matter of forgiving each other and accepting that this is all part of the job. We're not going to break up over it, Hayley, we're just mad," Kim answered. "Once we talk it out, it will be behind us."

"You sure?" Hayley asked.

"Promise. He'll get the egg thingy, come back, we'll talk things over, have a nice dinner, and move on," she answered. Hayley nodded.

"If he comes back," she muttered and Kim whipped around to look at her, wincing as she did.

"What's wrong, Hayley?" She asked.

"He's got that look on his face. The 'this is why we put the help button on your communicator instead of his' look. He's not going to be careful," Hayley answered and Kim sighed.

"He rarely is," she answered. They headed back to work fixing Red and just trying to figure things out when they heard Tommy.

"_Hayley! Kim! Listen!"_

"Yeah?" Hayley asked.

"What is it?" Added Kim.

_"The white Ranger, it's…" _And just as quickly, his voice was cut off. Kim and Hayley watched in horror as an amber substance poured all over his body, trapping him inside.

"Tommy, come in Tommy," Hayely called, but there was no answer. "Tommy, come on."

She looked over at Kim who stared at the screen, not making a noise at first. When she finally did it was loud, heartbroken, and relatively short, sounding a bit like Tommy. Then she did the only thing her body would let her do. She fell to the floor hearing Hayley calling to her as she completely passed out in a faint.

* * *

**Author's Note: **First of all, sorry this is late. It seems that after graduation seemed to be as busy as before, but things have seemingly calmed down for the moment. I'm hoping they'll stay that way. Still, it's a longer chapter. That makes up for the lateness, right?

A big problem that I had with the series, all of them, was that they didn't duck or dodge anything. Seriously, if someone pointed something at me that had "arrows" or "power" in the name, I would be ducking and dodging to make sure it didn't hit me. So, I decided to address that here.

Thank you once again for all of the reviews. As always, I appreciate it greatly.


	10. Changed Complications

**Chapter 10: Changed Complications**

"Kim! Stop that! I did not bring him back to the lab for you to pound on the amber every two minutes and try to crack it with your bare fists," Hayley snapped. "You should be resting anyway. Besides for the injuries you got against the white Ranger, you have new head wounds from fainting."

"It makes me feel better," Kim grumbled, unable to cry anymore. When they were sure it was safe, Kim had forced Hayley to take her with to get Tommy by sitting in the jeep and insisting that sitting in the car was the same as sitting in the lab. Not really wanting to fight with her, they'd headed off toward the abandoned building.

_"You're going to stay in the car," Hayley said as they approached it._

_"Keep telling yourself that, Hayley. You might actually believe it," Kim snapped, unbuckling and dragging herself out of the car once it was stopped. Hayley threw up her hands and followed, more than annoyed at the lack of care Kim seemed to have. She was starting to think that all Rangers had a death wish. They walked over to the amber prison and Kim stared at it as Hayley ran the instrument up and down._

_"He's alive, for now," she told her. Kim nodded, a little too calmly. Hayley was a little surprised at how well Kim was taking it until the other woman lost all composure and leapt at the amber._

_"You son of a bitch! You get out of there! Right now! Do you hear me?!" Kim screamed, banging her hands against the amber. It hurt, but she didn't seem to care at this point. Looking back later, she wondered if she ever really felt it then. "How dare you leave me! Get your ass out of there! Get…"_

_Her anger fled and the tears poured out. She hit it once more for good measure before sinking to the ground next to it. She felt Hayley wrap her arms around her and she just continued to cry. Hayley wasn't doing much better, but seemed to have taken over mentor mode and helped Kim to the vehicle, got Tommy inside, and they'd headed back to the lab before Hayley completely broke down as well._

"It might make you feel better, but you're hands are already cut open from the first fifty times you hit it," Hayley told her, more than a little annoyed. She'd had to say the same thing about fifty times too. "So, stop that."

"You called the kids, right?" Kim asked, changing the subject as she rubbed her hands a bit. Hayley wasn't exaggerating as the blood fell down her arms a bit from the sides of her hands. Hayley nodded.

"They're on their way," she promised, turning back to try to figure more out about their problem.

"What are we going to tell them?" Kim asked. "How do we explain to them that we lost their teacher?"

"We didn't lose him, Kim. We know where he is. And as for the amber… it was an accident. It happens and they will understand that," Hayley told her, though half-way reassuring herself as well. "And you're their teacher too, but if you think that you need help, call Jason."

Kim nodded. It wasn't that she didn't think she could handle the job, it was that she didn't want to do it alone right now nor did she think she'd be efficient enough without help. Therefore, without hesitation, she reached for the phone and dialed. _"Hello?"_

"Jason? It's Kim. Listen, I have a problem here…" she started and heard him sigh.

_"Just talk to him, Kim. That'll solve whatever you guys are fighting over now," _he answered, sounding a bit annoyed. Understandable considering the last trip he'd made there. Still, he wasn't expecting her to get that quiet and was surprised that when she did speak, her voice was small and broken.

"I can't," she whispered. "He… I can't. I need help with the teens. Please?"

_"I'll be there as soon as I can, Squirt." _All annoyance had flown from his voice and he tried to sound as soothing as possible. "_You going to be okay 'til I get there?" _He asked and Hayley gently took the phone from her when she didn't answer right away.

"She'll be fine, Jason, just… hurry," the technical wizard told him and they hung up. She placed a hand on Kim's shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Both women looked to the door as the three teenagers headed down the steps. Conner had been the one to ask the question and he stood at the bottom with the other two flanking him. All three looked confused, but Kira, being the more perceptive, looked at the two women.

"Are you guys alright? You don't look so good," Kira mentioned and Conner glanced over, following Kira's lead.

"Did you hit your head, Kim?" Asked Conner. Yet, it was Ethan who noticed the amber pile and frowned.

"I don't mean to insult your choice of decorations, Kim but… Doctor O?!" Ethan cut himself off once he saw inside of it. His eyes widened and he turned to look at the two women who just nodded. Kira immediately moved over by Ethan and had a look as well while Conner looked at Hayley and Kim, putting on his leader face.

"What happened?" He asked and Kim's face went from upset to of pure fury.

"The white Ranger," she answered and Conner's eyes narrowed.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered, glancing over amber. "Is he…?"

"He's alive, Conner. Just in hibernation," Hayley answered. "We just can't get him out yet."

"Why not? Let's just blast him out," Conner suggested.

"That might kill him," Ethan said absent-mindedly. "It could shatter him."

"New plan," Conner decided. "Let's not do that."

"I'm sure Tommy would appreciate it if you didn't," Kim whispered, her voice void of humor. Conner looked over at her and then at Hayley who shook her head, not quite knowing how to react to Kim right now.

"Hey, Kim, let's get you something to eat upstairs, huh?" He suggested and she opened her mouth to say something, but Conner cut her off. "He'll be fine. Come on."

He took her upstairs and looked through Tommy's refrigerator, scrounging up some food that was easy to make and healthy to eat. "I told him I'd talk to him when he got back."

Conner looked over at her, almost not sure if she was the one who said it. She sounded broken, unlike his normal fiery teacher. Then again, he had to admit that she was broken both physically and emotionally. "So, that's good. You were going to talk, right?" He asked, unsure of what she meant.

"That's all I said, Conner. No 'I love you'. No 'Be careful.' Nothing. Just that we'd talk." He finished making a salad and tuna sandwich, handing it to her and sitting down.

"I think I know how you feel. I mean, if I hadn't left that stupid egg finder, he wouldn't have gone after it," Conner said, feeling pretty horrible himself. If there was one thing that Reds were good at doing, it was taking blame for everything that happened around them. "But no. I wasn't thinking. Again."

"You were thinking, Conner. You were just thinking about the end of the world instead of a metal device. Trust me, you picked the better thing to think about," she promised. "Jason's coming."

"Yeah, I guessed he would," Conner answered. "We going to need Trini too?"

Kim looked at him in confusion for a moment before understanding what he was asking. "No, I'll be alright. I just need a little time."

Conner nodded. "I guessed that too. So, anything I'm supposed to learn from this?"

"Yep," Kim answered. "When Hayley says 'be careful', you should be careful. Apply that to anyone of us who says it."

"Got it," Conner answered. "If you're feeling better, we should probably get back down there. Ethan and Kira probably could use some help right now since it's still sinking in for the three of us."

They headed back down and Conner wrapped his arms around Kira, holding her while talking quietly with Ethan on the situation. Hayley looked over. "They're growing up."

"Afraid so," Kim answered and she sat down to help Hayley or at least to distract herself for five minutes. Hayley reached over and grabbed the first aid kit, pulling out some bandages to roll around her hands. Kim let her, though it restricted movement and then looked at her. "What are we working on?"

"There isn't anything I can do for him, right now, Kim. And a lot of stuff needs to be fixed up. We'll work on other things and come back to the problem later," she answered and Kim nodded.

"Right."

* * *

"I'm not going to hurt him, Hayley. I'm just going to murder him," Kim muttered to her friend as Trent headed for the door. "With my hands. Or a spoon."

"I don't think you can kill people with spoons, Kim," Hayley informed her. "Look, obviously he's having a bad day. Let it go."

"He quit. On us. And in case you have noticed, one banana smoothie with whipped cream, we're a little busy. Who ordered the strawberry?" Kim answered, handing out the drinks as she spoke. "He could have at least waited until after, peach smoothie, we were slower."

Hayley handed three more drinks to various customers. Both women were trying to keep up with the demands, were exhausted and agreed that it really hadn't been the best time for Trent to quit. Still, Kim had been watching him like a hawk since he walked inside the building and she seemed to have pushed all of her annoyance onto the unfortunate young man who dared to quit when the former pink Ranger had other things on her mind. Kira had chased after him, trying to talk to him which didn't surprise Hayley one bit. She'd seemed to have stars in her eyes since she first met him. Ethan looked a little worried over the whole exchange and Conner seemed more disgusted, though at what she wasn't sure.

"Like I said, Kim, let it go. Why is this getting to you?" Hayley asked.

"Some of the things he's been doing: the lateness, the quitting, the sick look. Basically, the odd behavior. It reminds me of something… _green_," she answered, making sure Hayley caught the last word.

"You mean?" Hayley asked and Kim nodded.

"That's my guess, why?" She asked.

"No reason, really. Kira just went out the door with him!" Hayley snapped and both women looked at each other. Kim raced to the back quickly and got on the communicator.

"Jason, it's Kim. You there?" She asked. She hadn't been able to have too much time to talk to her old friend, but he was definitely another helping hand.

_"I'm here, Kim. What is it?"_ Jason asked.

"There's this kid, Trent. Nice enough of a guy, but he's been acting really funny lately. Strange funny, not haha funny," she told him.

_"Has he been acting like Tommy did?"_ Jason asked.

"Not quite, but it could be different symptoms this time around. Look, I'd worry about it later, but he headed out the door… with Kira," Kim explained.

_"Got it. I'll keep an eye on them,"_ he answered.

"Thanks, Jase. I owe you one," she said and headed back to the café. Whether or not she was right, she was glad he was taking it seriously.

* * *

Kim, for one, was glad when work was over and slipped back to the lab to be with Jason and Tommy, even if the latter was a giant rock. "Well?" She asked as she entered. Jason glanced up and nodded, though not happily.

"You were right," he said. "He told Kira. She's trying to convince the guys to help him right now."

Kim sighed and sat down. "What do you think, Jason?" She asked.

"What you're thinking. Not just how can we trust the kid, but how can we save him?" He answered. "Face it, Kim. We've been here before a lot of times. We've been through being evil and we've been through trying to save others from being evil. And now that we know he's under a spell, it's our job to try and save him."

"But at what cost, Jason?" She asked, pointing to her ambered boyfriend. "We already lost Tommy, we nearly lost Conner, and it's exactly as it was when Tommy was green. Down a mentor and nearly down our red Ranger. Only this time, there isn't a sword that we can destroy."

Her irritation boiled over and she smacked the wall before Jason could get to her. Like her, he remembered how hard it had been when Tommy was green including when he nearly lost his life to his soon-to-be best friend. Jason wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his shoulder. "We're not going to lose anyone else," he promised. "We won't."

"How do you know?" She asked and Jason looked up. Kim turned around to look at Conner, Ethan, and Kira.

"Because they can handle it."

* * *

Not one of them looked happy by the end of it. Kira was crying in Kim's arms about how she tried, but he wouldn't listen to her. Ethan was looking between Kira and Conner, who was so beyond angry, that he was sparring with Jason to calm himself down. The poor blue Ranger wasn't sure which he was supposed to go to. Hayley watched over the whole thing, not quite sure what to do like her pupil, but experience guided her more. She looked over at Kim, who was gently rubbing Kira's back. "Did Tommy ever…?"

"He didn't run," she answered shortly. "He needed to get away when he lost his powers, but he didn't run exactly. Then again, the evil completely took him over."

Hayley nodded and Kira looked at Kim hopefully. "But he was completely evil, right? So, we don't know what he would have done if he was only partially evil."

"No, we don't, Kira," Kim agreed, holding her close. "But it's harder to help someone who doesn't want help."

"So, why bother?" Conner asked angrily, breaking away from Jason who needed a break anyway. He folded his arms and headed back over. Ethan glanced at the distance and made sure to keep it even between Kira and Conner. Now wasn't the best time for him to pick a side. "He's tried to kill us and look at Doctor O!"

"But he didn't mean to!" Kira argued. "At least, not our Trent."

Kim looked at Jason who nodded to her. The former pink Ranger took a deep breath and looked Kira in the eyes. "These things tend to get worse before they get better, Kira," she said. "More than likely, he'll get more evil before he gets good."

"It'll take him over," Jason agreed. "And while I think that we should try to save him, I don't think it's a good idea to trust Trent right now. That goes for you too, Kira."

Kim just held the girl as she cried a little harder and was happy to see that Conner was calming down a bit. Ethan was just staring out toward the computer and back at Tommy periodically. "So, what do we do now?" Ethan asked, trying to bring the conversation back to something productive.

"What we've been doing," Jason answered. "The three of you are going to keep going to school, being Rangers, and trying to enjoy yourselves while Hayley, Kim, and I try to figure everything else out. And guys? You can come and talk to us about anything, alright?"

They all agreed and Kim turned to Conner, handing him some money. "Why don't the three of you go to a movie or something? We'll call you if anything changes, but I think that all three of you could use a break. And Conner? Try to keep her away from Trent and vice-versa, okay?"

Conner nodded and gently took Kira, the rest of his anger melting away as he did so. Angry at Trent or not, he was still there leader which meant that he still needed to be there for his team. Ethan happily took the way out, following. They headed up the stairs, not in the mood to fight with their mentors right now about staying, and took off. Kim looked at Jason and Hayley. "We need a plan before we all end up dead."

"That bad, huh?" Jason asked and Kim nodded.

"He's strong, Jason. And there are only three of them right now. You and I could try to fight, like the raptors and I did with the lab, but we need a better plan. One that doesn't involve us getting mutilated," she answered and paused for a moment before continuing. "And we need Tommy back."

"I'll work on that, Kim. You and Jason should probably worry about trying to come up with a plan. A good plan," she answered and Kim nodded.

"On it."

* * *

"'Let's go check on the energy thingy' you said, 'It might be important!' you said. You didn't say that it was a good walking distance from the house when I suggested the car, Jason," Kim snapped. Jason laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"It's not that far, Kim. We'll be there soon. Besides, they're not complaining," he told her, pointing at the three kids who were moving quickly and talking with each other quietly.

"Of course they're not, Jason. They have abilities that make them heal quicker. I, on the other hand, am still dealing with some of my injuries!" She said, not happy at all by the conversation.

"Now, come on. Where is the happy, bouncy Kim I know?" He asked, giving her a pouty look and she smiled a bit.

"Sorry, Jase. It's just been a rough little while," she told him and he nodded.

"I understand. There!" He pointed ahead of her at their destination and they caught up with the teenagers. "And there's the reason that we tagged along."

She looked over and saw Trent standing there for which she outwardly groaned. "You better grab Ethan, I've got Conner."

"Can you handle Conner right now?" He asked her, but backed down at her look. "If you say so."

Kim grabbed both of Conner's arms while Jason quickly made sure that Ethan did nothing either. Kira held her hand out to stop them from going after the newly evil Ranger which seemed to slow both boys down at least a little. Kim looked at them as she let Conner go. "We have a job to do. We'll just grab the rock and… Oh shit."

Kim looked as the Tyrannodrones came out followed by a rather cowardly monster. She pushed aside any pain and stood ready beside Jason. "Why is it whenever you take me outdoors, we get into this kind of trouble?"

"Hey, we're not evil yet," Jason argued, trying to look at the bright side.

"Key word there," Kim joked. "Left or right?"

"Right," he answered heading in that direction as they got to work. Neither adult were terribly surprised to see Trent joining in on the action. He wasn't in evil mode yet, at least they didn't think he was. Still, a helpful hand was a helpful hand right now. "We're going to end up taking you to the hospital by the time this is over. You do realize that, right?"

"I'm not that… Oww! Pain!" Kim said, falling backward as one of the drones hit her straight in the ribs. That didn't stop her for too long, however, and she knocked the Tyrannodrone's legs out from under it before picking herself back up for more of them. Jason was doing far better, which wasn't much of a surprise to Kim, as he was completely in business mode at this point. She looked at the monster whose attitude had completely changed. He hit Conner backward and Kim picked up a large staff-like stick, hitting the creature in its own back. "Hey Ugly! Over here! Morphing, guys. New plan. Morphing!"

"They're already on it," Jason teased as they were already morphing up. He did offer her a quick smile, though. "Good teaching."

"Thanks," she answered, about to say more when she felt a wave of dizziness knock into her. She glanced over at Jason to see that he was having the same problem and she had the feeling they weren't the only ones as the three Rangers took a step or two back. She looked around to see if Trent was having the same problem, but he wasn't anywhere around, causing both Kim and Jason to groan. Jason kicked the ground and looked at Kim. "Well, this sucks."

* * *

"But, you two feel alright, right?" Hayley asked Kim and Jason as the Rangers headed out to various, unusual for them, activities. Kim looked over at her and sighed, leaning against her hand.

"I suppose," she answered, staring off. "It's not like my life can get that much worse anyway, right?"

"So, you guys look like you have everything handled here," Jason said without answering the question to Hayley's surprise. She wasn't sure what surprised her more: that he didn't answer the question or what he had said. "So, Trini should be getting back toward Angel Grove. I think I'll grab her and swing by to Vegas. Nice little elopement, you know?"

"That's sweet," Kim answered and heavily sighed. "No one ever does that for me."

"Uh, no. Freeze. You're not going anywhere," Hayley said to Jason. "We need you. Here. Now. Remember, you're covering for Tommy."

"I'm sick of covering for Tommy," Jason snapped. "It's all I do. He's late, I cover. He's making out with Kim or Kat, I cover. He gets trapped in a big rock, I cover. No more covering! I just want to go, grab my fiancé, and go to Vegas to elope. Is that asking for so much?!"

"So, she said yes? Good for her. No one is ever going to love me like that! My one chance is in a big rock!" Kim whimpered, bursting into tears. Hayley looked about ready to hit her head into a wall and turned to Red, who was fully recovered after his last battle.

"They should've attacked the lab now," she muttered. Red chirped in agreement as Jason was trying to race out the door and Kim was crying at the table. "We're all going to die."

* * *

After a couple of hours, Hayley was annoyed. After eight hours, she was tired and annoyed. After a day, she was tired, annoyed, and pissed. Kim and Jason were both no help, though she could use Kim to get things if she needed to. It would just take a long period of time and the object would be soaked in tears. She'd given up on Jason, knowing that she'd have to tie him down to a chair before he's stay there and it just didn't seem worth it at the moment so she'd let him out the door finally.

She'd tried to get the kids to help and had succeeded in making sure that they fought a monster at least once, but they were little to no help beyond that. Hayley held her head and glanced at Kim who was sighing and looked as if she was doing a good impression of Eeyore. They'd decided that they were exhibiting a hidden, repressed part of themselves and that was good to know, but they weren't doing well on figuring out how to fix it.

"Kim? Can you go get me some fruit from the kitchen? I'm a little hungry," she gently asked as Kim sighed again, slowly dragged herself from the table and wandered up the stairs. Hayley turned to the amber beside her. "You owe me so much for this when you're out of there…"

* * *

Jason grinned when he saw that Ethan and Conner were together. This would be much easier since the two that he was looking for were together. It wasn't that he didn't like Kira, far from, but he wanted to hang with the boys today and they seemed much more likely to join him in his plans than their teammate. After all, shopping was not in his plans. He just had to do this smoothly so that both wanted to come, albeit for different reasons, and he had a way of planning for it: the same way Zack always managed to get Billy and him to join him. Of course, in those days, they hadn't done anything like what Jason was planning, but the principle was the same.

"Hello, boys," Jason stated as he stood between them, his face far from its normal seriousness or even from its normal smile. He was smiling, but it was more of a roguish smile instead, an indicator that he wasn't in his typical state of mind.

"Hey Jason," Ethan said, doing another sit-up and not planning on stopping at the moment. Conner glanced up from his book.

"Salutations, Jason," he added. "Is there something you needed?"

Jason nodded casually. "Yes, there is. See, I was thinking about getting married to Trini in Vegas. It's quick, easy, fun. No planning, but I need a bachelor's party."

"And… you want us?" Ethan asked, finally stopping to look at their temporary mentor. "Why?"

"You need a break. Besides, if I ask my own friends to go, they'll start bothering me on things like waiting, responsibility, planning… I know you two won't. You're much too cool for that," Jason said slyly. While true he didn't believe they would, he didn't mention that he thought it was for their own good to get away for a while. He'd spent his teenage years fighting monsters too and he hadn't taken a break like this. If they didn't, they might end up on a different planet, end up with a broken heart, or become Mr. Serious for a long period of time. He didn't want that to happen to them. Responsibility tended to ruin all Rangers in Jason's opinion.

"So, Vegas?" Ethan asked and, after a minute, he nodded. "Sounds like fun."

"You are forgetting that we are minors, Ethan. While Jason may be able to gamble and participate in other unsavory activities, we cannot," Conner reminded him, starting to look back at his book. Jason had been waiting for this and gently pushed down on the book so that Conner would look at him. He felt Ethan join his side and inwardly grinned. He'd have more help with this than he realized.

"Come on, Conner. You think I didn't think about that? Trini's computer in Angel Grove can make you both fake IDs that would fool anyone. Alien technology," he said calmly. He left out the fact that the technology was supposed to be used to cover up their identities if needed. "And that means that you can calculate the odds, figure out other tricks of the tables, and help Ethan and I."

Conner looked like he was thinking about it and looked a little worried after a minute. "Won't Hayley and Kim be mad?"

"Only if they catch us. Besides, I'm your mentor right now too. So, they can't really yell at you for a training exercise, can they?" Jason asked and headed in for the closer. "Think about the math, the various things that you'll see on the way there, and you can even look at the architecture once we're there. Come on, Conner. Be a red."

Ethan looked eagerly at his friend and Conner's worries seemed to temporarily vanish. While he still wasn't sure about this, they wanted him to come along and most people wouldn't want a geek to join them. "Okay," he agreed and rushed out with the others, taking his book with him.

Jason grinned. His plans had worked perfectly and Operation: Need to Relax was about to begin, followed by the most exciting time of his charges' young lives if he had anything to say about it. Not to mention a quick marriage to the girl of his dreams and maybe he could convince her to do skydiving during the honeymoon. He had a life to catch up on instead of trying to find a stupid power source, after all.

* * *

Hayley hadn't expected them to be happy to come or even without complaint, but she was surprised when only one of the three rangers showed up. Hayley glanced over at Kira and sighed. "Where's Conner and Ethan?"

"I don't know. I was busy shopping," she answered, looking annoyed. "Which I would still be doing, but you called. So, what is it?"

"I think I know how to fix Tommy. That rock that made all of you act weird, I think it might be able to help him so I need for you to go get some of it…" Hayley began and groaned as she heard the sirens go off. "Or for you to fight a giant monster. I'll find the others. Take Yellow."

"Fine," Kira said, looking a little bored, but she powered up and got on Yellow's back, heading for the door. Hayley looked around on the screens and groaned, turning to Kim.

"Do you know where they are?" She snapped and Kim shrugged.

"Jason mentioned eloping and a bachelor party," she said with a deep sigh. "Probably in Vegas. He didn't even invite me."

"Oh, get over… Vegas?!" Hayley immediately looked at the screen to find Tommy's jeep, seeing it heading out of town. "Kim, get up. Grab one of the cycles. We need to go. Now! Raptors, you follow behind so when we catch up to them, they can Power Up and go."

"Why don't you use the communicators?" Kim asked, dragging herself up again and looking less than enthused. Hayley had just asked her to get up and get fruit. Kim had to do everything.

"I tried," Hayley answered, clenching her teeth. "They're not listening. So, come on."

Kim sighed, but hopped on the cycle following the red one that Hayley had grabbed out the door. It was not a good day.

"So, we're heading to Angel Grove first?" Ethan asked, having grabbed the front seat and relaxing at the trees went by. "Why?"

* * *

"To pick up the lovely bride to be," Jason answered. "We go, I ask, she accepts, we grab the IDs, and enjoy Vegas."

"What if she says no?" Ethan asked and Jason brushed him off.

"She already agreed to marry me, Ethan, and why wouldn't she agree to marry in Vegas? Who wouldn't want to get a quick elopement?" Jason asked, swerving around a truck and into the other lane. He tore back into his own lane soon after, yelling in glee. Ethan wasn't much better, cheering him on. Poor Conner was just hanging on and not saying a word. They'd almost hit a car doing that.

"If you say so," Ethan said with a shrug over Jason's answer. "God, this guy is slow. Can't you go around him too?"

"Give me a sec. Is there room on the right?" Jason asked and Ethan looked.

"Yep," he answered.

"Isn't that illegal?" Conner spoke up and Jason shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's for a good cause," he said and explained at Conner's confused look. "Love, Conner. Alls fair in love and war."

Conner gave a half nod while Ethan cheered Jason on. Jason didn't seem to need it and he brushed past the car without paying too close of attention. "What if we get pulled over?" He asked, worried.

"Then you and Ethan suit up and tell them that you commandeered the car for some sort of emergency. You needed to be able to jump out at a moment's notice," Jason answered and even Ethan looked a little nervous on that. Both boys were trying to think, since they knew that there was something wrong about doing that. They just couldn't remember what.

Conner didn't say anything, but looked behind them. "What if Kim and Hayley pull us over?"

Jason made a noise. "And what makes you think that they'd do that?"

"They're right behind us on the cycles," he answered. Jason looked in the mirror and then at the jeep's speedometer before he swore. He floored it, trying to dodge them, but they pulled in front, herding them to the side of the road and beyond so that no one could see what was going on. Jason hit his hands against the steering wheel. His plan was completely destroyed. Making sure that they were pulled over enough, both Hayley and Kim took off their helmets, replicas of the Rangers' actual helmet and looked at the others.

"That was a bit reckless," Jason mentioned. "How are going to explain why you pulled us over?"

"One of the kids will suit up and explain tomorrow that the jeep had something dangerous in it," Hayley answered. "They were making sure you weren't going to die. I borrowed Kim's cloak and she's been wearing blue for the past day and a half, so they won't know who we were. That's not a problem. What is a problem is the three of you. What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking that I wanted to marry Trini and that the boys needed a break," he answered, his voice in an uncharacteristic cocky tone. "I would have taken Kira too, but she was busy shopping."

"Jason…" Hayley nearly growled. She turned to Conner and Ethan. "Kira needs help, change, take the raptors which will be here any minute and go!"

They looked about ready to argue, but neither really wanted to be murdered by a irate café owner so they chose to do what she said instead. They raced off and Hayley turned on the other two. "Now, I can't get that rock myself because it will mess with me, possibly, and then we're all screwed. So, you two are taking the cycles, you are getting the rock, and so help me if I find out that you're not doing that, and I will find out. You'll wish Mesagog had gotten a hold of you. Now get!"

Kim loudly sighed, but got on the cycle while Jason looked at Hayley, folding her arms. "Suppose I don't want to do this. Suppose I want to go to Vegas, New Orleans, or ski in the Alps. Suppose I've decided not to do your little plan."

His expression wasn't evil, though it was challenging, and worse it was almost a sneer. Hayley sighed knowing that his anti-responsibility had hit its highest level, though she was prepared. She leaned in closely so that only he could hear her. "Then there won't be anything for Trini to get excited over anymore, will there?" She asked. Her tone was completely serious. "I'm a genius, Jason. You wouldn't know until it was too late."

"Come on, Kim!" Jason said quickly. "We need to get that rock. It's important and we need it."

"I guess," she said, still looking upset, though ready to go. "Jason, do you think I'm pretty?"

Jason's eyes widened. He threw on the helmet and charged up the bike, getting as far away from her as possible. Kim copied, but Hayley could hear new sobs coming in. The genius woman climbed into the jeep, hightailing it home. She needed to get there before the other two got distracted again and who knew where they would go then.

* * *

"Get ready, Jason," Kim told him, having gotten control of her emotions for the moment. Well, she'd stopped crying at the very least. Jason, who normally would have been telling her the same thing, was busy complaining about how he had to do this. Still, he acknowledged her when she said it.

"Yeah, yeah. Shoot rock, break rock, take rock back, grab Trini, go to Vegas," he muttered, shooting when she called for him to. The rock broke and the two headed over to it. "I just don't see why we had to do this."

"No one else is able to. I'm always picked last," Kim answered sadly. Jason made a face.

"Where's Tommy when I need him," he groaned and Kim began to cry. "I know, I know, amber. God, Kim! Stop crying!"

"I can't help it!" She sobbed. "Everything goes wrong!"

"Yeah, well, deal! I'm sick of listening to you! You just go on and on!" He snapped, walking away toward the rock and the world slowly changed. He looked over to see Kim on the ground, sobbing in a ball. "Oh Kim! I'm sorry! Hey, we'll get him back."

He headed back to her and held her, trying to calm her down before he realized that the effects of the rock had fixed him. He gently picked her up and headed toward it, letting the effects fall over her. To his surprise, she didn't completely stop but only calmed down. She looked up at him, eyes red from crying, and he waited for her to talk. "Do you know what the last thing I said to him was?"

"What?" He asked gently, still holding her.

"'We'll talk when you get back.' How horrible is that, Jason? No I love you or be careful or don't get yourself killed, just only that sentence!" Kim cried as she had to Conner before. "We didn't have time to talk it out with everything happening so fast and I was so mad at him…"

"It happens in relationships, Kim. Face it, you'd be insisting you were right still if it hadn't happened. Besides, Hayley's going to get him out with the rock and then you can continue to tell him how he was wrong and you were right," Jason reminded her.

"What if it doesn't work?" She asked and he gave her a half-smile.

"We're Rangers, Kim. Luck is our middle name," he told her. "Come on, Squirt. Let's get back."

She just nodded, pulling herself together for the ride home though she let Jason carry the rock. Suddenly she winced and Jason nearly crashed when she slowed down from trying to see what was wrong. "Oh… Hayley is going to kill us."

"No she won't. We'll apologize, but I'm sure she realizes…" Jason started and then thought back to her threat. "No, I was wrong. Hayley's going to kill us."

* * *

"So, you really think this is going to work?" Kim asked as Hayley finished preparations.

"Kim, if you ask me that one more time, I will kill you," the exasperated café owner snapped. Kim was let off the hook because Hayley needed someone to work with her at the café and Jason was let off because Tommy seemed to be a magnet for trouble so if she killed him, she'd be down a substitute mentor. Besides, they had been under the influence of a rock, so she couldn't kill them for that.

"Sorry, Hayley. I really do think you can do, but I'm just a little worried, you know?" She asked and Hayley nodded.

"I understand," she said. "But don't ask again, okay?"

Kim bit her lip and nodded. She waited as patiently as possible as Hayley took time and care to make sure that she did it correctly. While Conner and Ethan especially weren't looking forward to telling Tommy exactly what had happened in his absence, they missed their mentor and wanted him back. Jason put a hand on Kim's shoulder to support her if necessary. If this didn't work, he wasn't sure how she'd react.

The rock went in the machine and she pressed the correct configuration and even she held her breath for the moment it took to work. The amber began to dissolve as the rock did its work before exploding the machine. Hayley couldn't help but think that no one else had best get trapped in amber for a bit since they were down a machine and a rock.

"Trent," was the first word out of his mouth when the amber was completely gone. He looked a little confused. "How did I get here… Kim?!"

The small woman had broke away from Jason and hurled herself at her lover. The kids were cheering that he was better and Jason and Hayley both were grinning, but none of them were as hands on at the moment as Kim. They all wanted to greet him, but they stayed away for the moment as Tommy held Kim, looking a bit confused. The tiny woman was clinging to him. "Thank god you're okay!"

"Of course I'm fine and… Kim!" He called out as her embrace turned violent. She beat against his chest and glared at him a bit to his surprise.

"You son of a bitch! You had me worried sick!" She yelled as he tried to hold her off. He glanced up through his helmet at Jason, who fortunately got the point and gently pulled the former pink Ranger off of him. "Jason, let me go! I'm not going to kill him! I'm just going to maim him a little for scaring me!"

"Down, Kim," Jason told her. "Power down, will you, Tommy so that you can calm her down?"

The black Ranger nodded and tried, but nothing happened. He tried again, but still nothing happened. All of them looked shocked, confused, and with other mixed emotions and even Kim's anger had dissipated for the moment. Tommy looked up. "Guys, we have a problem."

Jason, in his normal leadership mode, took control of the situation and immediately demonstrated what should be done next. Handing Kim to Hayley, he walked over, took Tommy's arm, and pulled him into a hug. "To hell with that. You're alive. That's what I damned well care about."

The three teens followed in suit as Jason pulled away. Conner on the right, Ethan on the left, and Kira in front. They all hugged him for a moment before pulling away. Conner looked straight at him, completely serious. "We wrote you a letter, Dude, a damn letter! It said no dying! I was specific!"

"I'm not dead, Conner," his teacher informed him and Conner glared at him.

"No, but you could have been!" He argued. "Hayley told you to be careful! At least, I think she did because Kim told me I was supposed to learn to listen to her! Why didn't you listen?"

"Conner…"

"No! No Conner, shut up. No Conner, you're don't know what you're talking about. No Conner, listen to me. You listen to me, Doctor O, we need you! You need you as our mentor, our teammate, our teacher! Dammit, we almost lost you because you weren't careful! You weren't, were you? I bet you didn't even dodge!" The young man snapped. Both Ethan and Kira had pulled away as well and were just staring at their teammate, edging away from him subconsciously. "We're teammates! We protect you, you protect us. We can't protect you from you, Doctor O!"

Tommy stood there for a minute, not quite sure what to do or say. Conner, too, seemed finished and waiting for an answer. Jason looked at Hayley who nodded and handed Kim back, embracing Tommy. "Welcome back. And, uh, good luck."

Tommy looked a little surprised by her words until Jason let Kim go and herded everyone else other than Conner and her up the stairs. Tommy stared at the two angry people before him. He had the feeling that he had a lot to answer for and Kim nodded to Conner. A silent way of deciding that he should go first. Conner looked at him and the anger died down to a hurt expression. "Why?"

That simple word could have so many meanings for the past few days and quite frankly, Tommy couldn't guess which one he was trying for. "Why what, Conner?"

"Why do you keep telling me I'm the leader, I need to think like one, I'll do just fine, if you don't let me do it?" Conner asked. "I know it's exciting that you're a Ranger again, but why did you tell me that I was in charge if you won't let me do it?"

Tommy opened his mouth and then closed it, not that the other two could see. He thought about the rant that Conner had gone off on in front of the others and realized that both Ethan and Kira looked uncomfortable, similar to how the Rangers in his day had looked when Tommy first took leadership when Jason and he were still adjusting. Even they saw the leadership role as split. "I'm sorry, Conner. It's just… hard."

"It's been hard for me too, Doctor O. You're my mentor and my teacher, but when I get out there, I'm supposed to be in charge. I should have gone after the egg finder. Everything that happened eventually ends up being my fault because I'm in charge," Conner informed him. The exchange would have been humorous had it not been so serious as Doctor Thomas Oliver, the "greatest" Ranger of all time was getting scolded by his teenage student. "I know we're both learning, but what about this whole mess with Trent? Are you going to go against everything I say because it was similar to your situation?"

"I'll try not to Conner," Tommy offered and Conner sighed.

"Yeah, whatever. Later, Doctor O," Conner said and headed upstairs after the others.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," Tommy said, not liking how the exchange had gone at all.

"It happens," Kim answered softly. Both of them were quiet for a moment after that and Tommy looked at her.

"We're going to have that talk now, aren't we?" He asked.

"Yes." It was all she said.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he told her and she put her hands on her hips.

"Tommy, you're a team player when the team follows you," she told him. "The only time you weren't completely in charge was under Jason and even then, you became his second. I have news for you: You can't do that anymore. You can't ignore what I think or feel because you don't agree with it. You can't second guess Conner because he's not doing what you would do. You can't make all of the decisions because you want to. We're a team and on the field, Conner is in charge. He will make mistakes. He will do the wrong thing sometimes and you will let him because it's his choice. Zordon constantly let us do it and sometimes things worked out better. We advise them, teach them, train them, and help them live. Tommy, I'm not using the royal we here either. I mean we: you and I."

"Well, what about you? You've been jumping into trouble lately, Kim, and it scares me. I might not be listening to you, but at least I have something to protect myself with when I don't listen. You don't listen and you nearly die," he brought up and Kim nodded.

"True, but quite frankly it's going to happen. Hayley is safe because we keep her safe and hidden without anyone really knowing that she's involved. I'm not hidden and they know about me, Tommy, so of course I'm a target. Just be glad Red and the other raptors are around to help save my neck. Let me fly. I can help you," she pushed. "But… if you can work on listening and letting Conner lead, I can work on listening and trying to stay out of direct fights. No promises for some though."

"Best I'm going to get, isn't it?" Tommy asked and at his girlfriend's smile, he nodded. "Deal."

"Good. Now, because I promised Conner I would, there's something you need to know about from when you were out and you're not going to like it," Kim began.

"Please tell me that this story has a happy ending," he whimpered.

"It does. It also has Jason, Vegas, fake IDs, and your jeep," she informed him.

"Remind me again who I'm going to have to kill…?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was an interesting chapter to write because I felt it needed the emotional aspect of before, yet I really did like the change it up in "Leader of the Whack" so I wanted to add that in as well.

Kim's talk was long in coming and even though he was quieter about it, so was Conner's. He realized exactly how hurt he could have gotten by not standing up for what he thought was the right course of action when he was in the jeep with Jason and Ethan. He realized that Tommy wasn't always right when Ethan and Kira got hurt and in terms of all the characters, I think that he is the only one in my fanfiction and in the series itself who realized exactly what a danger Trent was.

Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews and I'm hoping to get the next chapter out pretty soon.


	11. Harmony Destroyed

**Chapter 11: Harmony Destroyed**

"I agree with Kim," Conner mentioned as he sat down to do his homework. Kim and Tommy both looked over at the teenager. He wasn't looking up at them, but he had the feeling that Kim was smirking and while no one could see Tommy's expression, he knew the older Ranger was glaring at him.

"Conner, you don't even know what we're arguing about," Tommy snapped and the boy shrugged.

"Nope, but she's usually right so I agree with her," he said, grinning. Kim's smirk increased and Tommy scowled.

"Why are you here?" He asked, emphasizing the annoyance that his face couldn't show at the moment. Conner shrugged.

"Because I wanted a nice quiet place to study my science and since your being absent resulted in Senior Psychopath being in charge of my class, I figured that you could be the one to help me with my homework," he said calmly. "You bad. Mercer much, much worse."

"Thank you, Conner," Tommy said dryly. Conner shrugged and went back to preparing his homework. "Can't you do that anywhere else?"

Conner sighed and spoke slowly as if he were talking to a five-year-old. "I-need-a-quiet-place-and-your-help-because-your-absence-made-my-science-class-hell."

Tommy immediately turned on Kim who was just laughing by this point. "He gets it from you, you know. I thought that he might be like Jason or me but no. Oh no. He has to be like my sarcastic girlfriend."

Kim grinned. "I know. Don't you love surprises?" She asked and headed over to Conner, leaving her boyfriend to steam. "What's it on?"

"Geology. Rocks and stuff," he answered, already sounding bored. Kim laughed as she looked at the book.

"Well, this looks like earthquakes, really. The seismic plates moving and everything. Like San Andreas fault," she said calmly and he looked at her in surprise.

"You know this stuff?" He asked and she just groaned in an exaggerated manner.

"Unfortunately. Though, I had Billy. Anything I didn't know, he'd help me understand," she told him, sitting down next to him. Tommy groaned which she returned with a curious, "What?"

"We're trying to figure things out, remember?" He asked. "My suit? White Ranger? End to all mankind?"

"Science homework can be just as important," she told him, forcing herself to look completely serious. "You never know when he'll need to know where all of the seismic plates in California are and how they work."

"Probably never in his Ranger career," Tommy growled. Kim smiled sweetly at him.

"Then, you can work on that and I'll help Conner…" she began, but Conner nudged her and pointed to the door where the other two rangers stood sheepishly. "And Ethan and Kira with their homework. No arguing now. You have homework of your own."

Tommy stormed off and Conner looked at him. "What's up with Doctor O?" He asked and Kim laughed.

"You don't want to know, Conner," she warned him. His face became a pout and all three kept asking. She grinned. "He's just upset that being in the suit means that any relationship touching is out the window."

"Yep, you were right," Conner said, looking at his homework as the other two followed to hide their disgust. "I didn't want to know."

* * *

"Hey Kira!" Conner called out, catching up with his teammate. She slowed down a little, though she didn't stop or turn around. Conner winced at that considering she normally would have done one or the other. Well, before Trent and after they got the gems she would have anyway. He matched her step once he caught up and looked at her. "Kira, seriously, I didn't mean to make you angry."

"Then what did you expect, Conner? For me to be happy about you trying to attack Trent at the rock? For me to be happy that you didn't seem the least bit upset that we couldn't use the rock to fix him?" She snapped and he sighed.

"Kira! Wait!" He called out as she began to walk faster than him. "It's not that I don't want Trent better, but he tried to kill me, he nearly killed Doctor O, and he's obviously not on our side!"

"You don't know that!" She snapped, completely stopped so that he passed her by a few steps before heading back to her. "He was fighting it!"

"He managed not to kill you. That's great. It really is. But he ran, Kira! We offered him help and he ran!" Conner argued. "I care more about you, Ethan, Kim, Doctor O, Hayley and if it came between any of you and Trent, guess who I'd be fighting for."

"Why can't you fight for both?" She asked. "Why does it have to be a one or the other?"

"Because it is!" Conner finally snapped. "Face it, Kira, he's at least partially evil and he might not stop next time. I certainly don't want to take off my helmet to take that chance only to have him cut my head off!"

"We'll find a different way through to him then!" She argued. "We can save him."

Conner looked at her and sighed. "Maybe we can, Kira, and I hope we can, but ask yourself: Are losing five, possibly six, people worth possibly saving one? Like I said, if it comes down to him or us, I'm choosing us."

"And yet you didn't want to make me angry," she reminded him coldly. "Guess what? I'm angry."

She stormed off after that leaving Conner sighing and shaking his head. He wanted so much for her to understand that they had to be careful, but she seemed determined not to listen. Worse, Doctor O was encouraging it by reminding them that he was evil at one point as well. True, it had turned into a fight between the two mentors once again, but Kira tended to use it against him that Doctor O had been evil as well.

"Fighting in the ranks?" A voice asked, dragging him out of his thoughts. He hadn't followed when Kira stormed off, but when he glanced around no one was there. If he thought someone had been, he wouldn't have argued with her, let alone let his guard down. Trent came out from the wall, surprising Conner who backpedaled a little bit before taking a defensive stance. "You don't think you were the only one who got a power, did you?"

"Nope, but I'm glad I got a cool one instead of a rehash of Doctor O's. Come on, chameleon powers? You have to be near something for that to work. Doctor O can be anywhere," Conner said flippantly. "Makes sense, I guess. White and Black having similar powers. Too bad you got the lamer one, huh?"

"Big words, Jock," Trent answered, less cocky and more annoyed at Conner's words. "A lot of thinking for someone like you, hmm?"

"I'll pretend like I didn't hear that and leave now," Conner said. Trent smirked.

"You're not going to stay and fight?" At that, Conner laughed.

"Hell no! You kicked my ass last time. I'm going to leave, get help, and come back to kick your ass," Conner answered, starting to walk off.

"Yes, because Kira seemed so willing to help you," Trent mentioned, standing exactly where he had come out. "Though, it is nice to know that she'll stop if I sweeten my voice a bit."

Conner stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to think that Kira would do something like that, but she hadn't been acting reasonable as of late. Ethan had been trying to stay out of it the best he could, but he more leaned toward Conner's side most of the time and Doctor O was completely with Kira. If Trent pretended to be good, then he would completely lose half of his team to thinking that they could trust him and Ethan might even head that way. Still, he couldn't let Trent know that. "Yeah, well, let's see if you feel the same way after we beat the shit out of you."

Trent's morpher came out after that and Conner knew that if he was going to leave, now would be the best time. He turned on the speed and ran, heading back toward the lair, or at least the forest. He reached over and pressed the communication button, but didn't say too much other than "Need help, forest, white ranger, follow." Considering his speed, it would take Hayley a minute or two to slow his words on the computer and make it sound normal and understandable. He saw a laser blast, an arrow, hit beside him and he knew that the white Ranger was right on his tail. He headed close enough to the house that they could get there quickly, yet far enough away that he didn't accidentally lead Trent back to the lair. Mesagog knew where it was, but Trent hopefully didn't.

Conner winced as Trent, having caught up, threw him hard and far. Fortunately, that also gave Conner time to morph, which he did. He pulled out his staff and attacked back without completely waiting for the others to show up. If he didn't, he'd end up dead anyway. He heard voices and footsteps coming toward him and relaxed a bit as the others arrived.

They sprang into action, working together to knock Trent back. It was hard and fast, but it still hadn't become a zord fight yet, which the Rangers had to be thankful for. The bigger the fight, the larger the destruction and they hated it when that happened. Ethan charged, but was thrown to the side. A quick glance told Conner that his friend was alright when he stood back up and joined Conner in a partnered attack. Kira and Tommy joined them and did the same working together. Hitting him from both sides seemed to work as he went barreling away from them into the bushes and trees. Ethan, breathing heavily, looked over at his three teammates. "Did we do it?"

Conner looked over, motioning the others to stay back in case it was a trick. He glanced over to see Trent unconscious and lying on the ground, his helmet toss from his head. He checked to make sure that the white Ranger had no serious injuries and was relieved to see that there wasn't any blood or anything that looked serious. Kira, Ethan, and Tommy raced over to join him as he was checking Trent over. "Is he okay?" Kira asked and Conner shrugged.

"Physically, I'd say yes, but… get back!" Conner yelled as the suit began to convulse. Sparks flew from it and the white gem glowed before going back to normal. Trent's eyes flashed open, wide and he looked over at the four Rangers.

"Oh god! Are you three okay?" He asked, trying to pick himself up. Conner reached over and firmly held him back down, still suited up. Tommy's looked at the young red Ranger.

"Conner?" He asked, in a curious tone, and Conner shook his head.

"I'm not letting him up until I know we can trust him," Conner stated. He reached over with one hand and took off his own helmet. Trent looked a little confused until he looked into Conner's eyes and saw the anger in them. A warning. "If you're tricking us, Trent…"

If there was a threat that Conner was going to add, it was cut off when Kira pulled him off. "Conner, knock it off!" She snapped. She turned to look at Trent and gave a small smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Trent promised her, taking her hand as she helped him up. She had, by this point, abandoned her own helmet as well. "I'm just a little dizzy."

"Kira! Get away from him!" Conner growled, trying to protect her. Kira glared at him. Conner inwardly groaned at that. Kim was right: Hormones were a bitch to reason with.

"He's Trent, Conner," she snapped and looked back the white Ranger. "Don't mind him."

"No, maybe he's right," Trent said, pulling away from her. He shook his head vehemently. "What if this is temporary?"

"We'll deal with it then, Trent," Tommy answered, picking up Trent's helmet and handing it to him. "Let's get him back."

"What? No!" Conner yelled, clenching his fists. His face was just in shock, surprised at how they were going so quick about this. "We need to make sure…"

"We can do it there, Conner," Tommy argued. Conner turned to Ethan for any help in the situation he could get, but Ethan just shrugged. The only thing that made Conner feel better with Ethan was that he still had his helmet on which meant that he didn't trust Trent at the very least and that mattered a lot right now for Conner. He just wanted someone on his side.

"I just don't trust him," Conner muttered as he followed them. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Ethan's now unmasked face giving him a supportive smile. Conner leaned over. "I thought you weren't going to take off your helmet?"

"Wasn't. But you did, so…" Ethan whispered back. "Besides, it's easier to watch him without it."

Conner nodded and smiled back at his friend before they turned their attention to the others. Kira was still helping Trent and Tommy was following behind. Conner's smile faded as he remembered Trent's words: _"Though, it is nice to know that she'll stop if I sweeten my voice a bit."_

* * *

Kim surveyed the room as Hayley continued to try to figure out if the evil was gone or not and for how long. Kira was talking to Trent, who was smiling at her and nodding as a response. Tommy was watching them, well she was pretty sure he was as his helmet was facing their direction, thought it wasn't in a stern way. Like Kira, Tommy had admitted that he thought Trent was back to normal and he seemed to be acting in a correct manner. Still, he had been one of the first people to insist on the tests. Conner had been the very first and had proceeded to the back of the room soon after to work off some of the anger that was radiating around him. Ethan had joined him to spar, which looking back on it, hadn't been the blue Ranger's best idea. Kim was just glad that Ethan's skin could become hard.

She glanced over at Hayley. "Anything?" She asked and the computer whiz shook her head.

"Afraid not. That gem has our computer running around in circles with all these readings. I'm not sure what those shocks did, but they certainly messed with something," she answered. She shrugged and hit the table, not too loud as to make a noticeable noise, but enough to relieve her stress. Kim nodded understandingly.

"You might want to come up with a fake job for Ethan, by the way. I think he's getting tired of Conner's onslaught," Kim mentioned casually.

"Why doesn't he just say enough then?" Hayley asked with a slight groan and Kim laughed.

"Misplaced sense of loyalty," she joked and shrugged. "Well, we wanted them to be friends, right? They are. Best friends. Look at them."

Hayley did and while it was clear that Ethan was getting tired of the match, neither one was hurting the other and both pulled back their punches. Moreover, Ethan had volunteered and Conner had gratefully taken it which wasn't something they would have done before. They would have verbally and possibly physically fought, but they wouldn't have sparred like this unless told to by either Tommy or Kim.

"Hey Conner?" Ethan said nervously as Conner kicked for his head again. "Conner, man, come on! You trying to kill me here?"

Conner's fury died and he immediately looked over Etha from where he was standing, relieved that he hadn't done any actual damage. "Sorry, Ethan. I guess I got little preoccupied."

"A little? Man, you better not give me anymore grief for not getting to you and Trent fast enough anymore," Ethan said, rubbing his arms. Harder skin or not, they still were aching a little. Conner gave him a half-smile.

"But I still have months of jokes left! Don't take away my hobby," he teased and Ethan joined him in laughter. Conner had to admit that it felt good. He sat down and Ethan sat down next to him, smile fading.

"So, what's wrong?" Ethan asked. "I mean, I'm not sure if we can trust him either, but I'm not angry over it like you."

"I'm just… worried, you know? I want to trust him. I want to say he's better now, but I can't. And worse, Kira is angry at me because I can't," he said. He grabbed a couple of the towels and handed one to Ethan so that they could dry off as they talked. "It's all just… too easy."

"What if…" Ethan started. Conner opened his mouth, but Ethan put his hand over it. "What if he is back to normal? What if everything is normal again and Trent's back for good?"

Conner looked over at Trent and Kira as they were talking and laughing. He sighed and looked at Ethan who recognized the look in his friend's eyes. "Then I've lost her."

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Trent went out of his way to try to prove himself to the others. He had given Tommy the plans to build a Dino ATV which Tommy had promptly given to Hayley. He had offered to work for Hayley as a volunteer until they had all of this figure out. He had bought Ethan several new computer programs to try to make up with him and he'd bought Kira some new picks for her guitar. He'd gotten some gymnastic equipment for Kim, nothing huge, to try to make it up to her and had offered to help Conner train. Still, the results from the computer were still scattered on whether or not Trent was still evil or not.

"Hayley, this isn't getting us anywhere," Tommy told her as she was trying once again. "Just… leave it. There's no sense in us wasting time on this. We'll just have to watch him."

"What happened to 'we don't know if we can trust him'?" Hayley asked, folding her arms as she turned to look at him. He just folded his arms and looked back at her. Both of them had the same amount of determination in their eyes and probably would have stayed that way for a while if Kim hadn't sighed.

"We don't, Hayley," Kim said softly, pulling their attention away from each other. "But why does it matter if we can't even get it to work. Tommy's right. We're just going to have to keep an eye on him."

Hayley nodded and shut it down. There wasn't any point to something that didn't work anyway. She turned to the other two once she was done. "So, what do you two think?"

"Well," Kim answered. "We're not really sure. I mean, he seems good enough, but he could be faking it. He's been helping us in battle and we thought that if it was a ruse, he'd have betrayed us by now…"

"But we're worried that it could be a long term plan," Tommy finished. "So, our official stance is undecided."

"And your personal stances?" Hayley asked.

"Tommy thinks he's fine. I'm not so sure. Which actually works out for us since Conner and Kira have both taken similar stances. And for once, they're fighting. Not us," Kim answered. She reached out and took Tommy's gloved hand. "It's nice."

"I bet. So, talking finally worked things out for the two of you, huh?" Hayley asked and Tommy nodded.

"Yeah, amazing how communication will do that," he answered. Both women laughed. Tommy started to add something when his communicator went off.

_"Doctor O? It's Kira. I need to talk to you," _he heard on the other end. He glanced over at the two women who mouthed for him to go.

"Where are you, Kira?" He asked.

_"About a mile from where you are. Near where we train,"_ she answered.

"I'll be right there," he promised and headed out the door.

Hayley looked over at Kim soon after. "I need to get going. Between the café and trying to figure this out… I need sleep."

Kim laughed and pointed toward the door. "Go home. I'll keep an eye on things. Shoo!"

Hayley dragged herself out the door and Kim turned to the screen making sure that nothing horrible and new poked its head up. She was pleasantly surprised when nothing did.

* * *

"He's coming," Ethan stated from beside Kira and she stood up as she saw her teacher. She missed the human version of her teacher since she couldn't see his expression to tell what he was thinking. His arms weren't crossed though, so he wasn't too angry at her for calling him. That helped her nerves a bit. She wasn't too sure about this herself and she needed to try to convince him or at least make sure that he thought about it. She wanted his real opinion on what they had discovered. He stopped when he reached her. "What's wrong, Kira?"

"Nothing is wrong," she started, looking a bit nervous. She glanced over at Ethan who smiled and nodded for her to continue. "Trent was talking to us earlier and he mentioned that the machine that fossilized you. It had a… uh…"

"Sister machine?" Ethan offered and Kira grasped it.

"Yeah. You know, something that defossilizes things. So, we were thinking that it might, you know, help you with the suit problem," Kira answered. Ethan nodded.

"We were thinking that maybe part of what's wrong with you is that you're still partially fossilized," Ethan added. "That while the suit save you, it also engrained part of the amber, trapping you."

"And how are we going to find it?" Tommy asked. Ethan and Kira looked at each other and then back at their mentor.

"Trent told us where he saw it," she told him. "We could at least check it out."

"What's Conner have to say about this?" Tommy asked and Kira handed over a note. Tommy opened it.

_Doctor O,_

_Had practice. Heard the idea. Your choice._

_-Conner_

Kira shrugged. "We caught him right before practice. Still, both he and Trent agreed that Trent shouldn't come since we don't want to accidentally start a relapse."

Tommy nodded. While they had taken Trent with them on the last attack, they were trying to keep him from anything that the gem might connect with and make him evil again. Even Kira, who insisted that Trent was good, wasn't sure if the effects were permanent. "Alright, then. Let's go check. Should we get Conner?"

"Conner says to call him if we have trouble, but that someone should stay here in case of city trouble. I offered to stay with him, but if it is a trap…" Ethan started and Tommy nodded. If it was a trap, they'd need all the help they could get.

"Fair enough. Let's go, Guys," Tommy said and they followed him as he headed off. It didn't take them too long to get there. The building was deserted, which didn't surprise them, and Tommy glanced around before entering inside. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Kira and Ethan powered up and all three headed into the building to look around. Not much light got in and the electricity had been shut down a long time ago when the previous owners couldn't pay for it. Still, it was possible for them to look around and try to see what they were looking for. They split up and started to look for the machine. Ethan glanced to the left, Kira to the right, and Tommy straight on. It was Ethan who found something else. The real reason they were there: a bomb. "Kira! Doctor O! It's a trap!"

The doors they had entered from slammed shut and they heard it lock.

* * *

Trent headed down the stairs of the Lair and looked around. He didn't see the raptors anywhere, but Kim was sitting at the computer watching with boredom. She didn't even look up when he walked in. "Hello, Trent."

"Hey Kim," he answered. Three and a half grueling days of pretending to be good were finally ending. He'd planned this perfectly so that even if the Rangers did manage to make it out of the trap he'd laid for them, they wouldn't have anything to come home to. Mesagog had told him how Zeltrax had failed, but he wasn't Zeltrax. Kim was still healing from last time and he'd found a different way in. They had let him in with open arms. He wished he could do this a different way, with his sword, but the knife in his hand would work well enough. "Any problems?"

"Nope, nothing out there other than the normal boring daily stuff," she answered cheerfully. He finished coming down the stairs and walked toward her slowly. She continued to look at the screen as he edged toward her. Her chair spun around quickly and he felt something enter into his shoulder. He dropped the knife and his eyes widened as he saw an arrow sticking out. He glanced up at her to see her serious expression and a bow in her hand as she reached for another arrow. "Now, in here, that's another story."

"How did you…?" He asked, still in shock and Kim sat patiently in her chair looking back at him. She'd expected questions. When he was finished, she had some of her own anyway.

"There are cameras in here. I could see the knife. That play on Conner's emotions earlier. Very nice. Probably something I would do if I was evil," she answered. She raised the bow and arrow up again. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not."

"Too bad, Kim. It's more exciting on this side you know. You don't have to worry about pesky citizens getting in the way. You don't have to worry that the city will turn on you if something goes terribly wrong," he suggested to her. She just smiled.

"And I bet that they have great dental. Nice try, Trent. Now, I have a question for you. How did you manage to do the outfit and gem shock?" She asked, knowing he'd answer. All evil was egotistical and besides, the jig was up no matter what. There wasn't any point to him keeping it secret and they both knew it.

"A pulse to the gem. It worked beautifully. It destabilized the suit a bit with the electricity because the gem was affected. It also messed with Hayley's computer work so she wouldn't be able to move past it. Hayley was a surprise. I didn't actually think she was involved, but was more of an innocent bystander with a bad choice in friends," he told her. Kim inwardly winced as she realized that letting Trent in here had put Hayley in as much danger as the rest of them. Fortunately, he still didn't know about the café's hook-ups to the Lair's computer.

"Yes, well, we are full of surprises, aren't we? Get out, Trent," she told him calmly, the arrow still pointed at him. He had already, painfully, taken out the other though had stood still besides that. Kim wasn't going to shoot him for taking it out, but she would if he had moved toward that knife right after.

Trent shook his head. "You know, this is why you keep losing. You don't know when to finish things."

"I was finishing things when you were in grade school," she answered coolly. The bow remained steady.

"Monsters, yes. But how many died because you didn't kill the green Ranger? Because you wouldn't kill some one you loved?" He asked her. Her face managed to stay impassive, but the bow shook a bit as the comment reached her. He took the opportunity to get to her and thrust the bow from her hands, grabbing her and pulling her up out of the chair. She winced as the wounds she'd gotten from before ached in protest at the quick movement. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. "How many did you let die?"

She kneed him, hard in the stomach causing him to lose his grip and she thrust herself away, leaping toward the knife. Her hand was on in, but he stomped his foot down on her wrist. She didn't seem to notice as she used her leg to trip his causing him to stumble, but he managed to stay upright. In the stumble, Kim managed to get her hand free with the knife. He just shrugged at her triumphed smile and morphed. Kim winced. She'd forgotten he could do that. He reached down and picked her up by the neck. "How many did you let die… for love?"

This time, he didn't cause her to lose her cool. Instead of trying to pull the hand away, she tore his helmet off and thrust with the knife. She missed his face, but she did slice off the tip of his ear. He howled in pain and dropped her. Wounds may heal, but nothing grows back. He let her go and grabbed his helmet. Kim pulled herself up calling into her communicator. "Conner! Now!"

Trent's helmet was hardly back on his head when the red Ranger's blast hit him. He heard chirping and the four raptors had followed Conner in. Trent wasn't a fool. He couldn't take all of them on. Still, he wasn't leaving without causing some damage. He picked up his sword, used quicker speeds and headed straight for the computer before they could stop him. The raptors leapt at him, quick, but they weren't fast enough. Sparks flew as the sword tore the computer in half. Trent moved on to destroy anything else he could before they started to be able to catch him. Kim fled, knowing that this wasn't a battle that she could really help with and was grateful for Conner's plan. Five versus one was definitely a better plan than only her. When Conner had mentioned it to her earlier that day after he'd talked with the others, she quickly accepted it. She headed up the stairs and crashed, literally, into a woman. She winced again as the newly aggravated wounds hurt, but her Ranger programming was at full swing which meant that she needed to get others away from the fight. "Hayley, we have… oh shit."

"Oh shit is right," the woman told her. It wasn't Hayley. Kim's eyes widened at Elsa's appearance and realized that they had planned this too well.

"What are you doing here?" She managed to spit out. The last time she'd checked, Trent wasn't working for Mesagog.

"Mesagog thought that the white Ranger could use a little help," she answered and Kim tried to move past her. Elsa rolled her eyes and back-handed Kim, who fell back down the stairs into a crumbled mess. Elsa followed her slowly downstairs and looked at Trent who was backed into a corner. "Want some help?"

"It would be appreciated," Trent answered, motioning for her to join him. She used her own abilities and the raptors went flying away from Trent. Conner looked over at Kim and saw that she was out. He hoped she just wasn't dead. The computer was down and he wasn't sure if he could call the others. His mind worked quickly as the raptors came back at Elsa and Trent. While they were busy, he rushed over to Kim to make sure she was alive and under the ruse of taking her pulse, which Elsa and Trent would expect him to do, he pressed the emergency button on Kim's communicator.

They headed toward him and he could feel them coming. He held his staff ready and stood in front of his fallen teacher. Red and the others stood beside him. Their last stand. Trent took him straight on while Elsa took on the raptors. Unfortunately, the battle headed in favor of Elsa and Trent which Conner had guessed would happen. Trent slashed him again and Conner winced as he fell to the ground. Trent looked over at Elsa, knowing that Conner wasn't going anywhere.

"Where's Zeltrax?" He asked and Elsa snickered.

"Finishing the other part of your plan," she answered. "He'll just have to miss out on this part. Mesagog ordered him back when he was finished."

"Pity for him," Trent answered.

Conner glanced around. Kim wasn't getting up, Black was down, Yellow and Blue were faltering. The only two who were still half-way able were Red and him who kept it up, but even they were backed into a corner. Worse, he felt his powers fading as he lost energy.

"Is she alive?" Trent asked looking over at Kimberly as Red stood in front of her, growling at Elsa who shrugged.

"Probably not. Even if she is, she'll probably die soon anyway. Finish off the boy so we can go," Elsa told him. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew that Trent was grinning.

"With pleasure," he said and headed over to Conner, picking him up. Conner completely powered down and looked Trent directly on, even if he didn't say anything. He managed to keep the fear that had entered back so that Trent couldn't see it. "Like I said, make my voice sweet and they'll all come to me. Except for her, but you failed her anyway. Or she failed you. Both probably. You weren't able to save each other."

Conner wanted to argue back. He wanted to say hundred of different comebacks to the white Ranger, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Finally, he only tried to keep himself awake, but Trent threw him against the wall next to Kimberly and darkness took him.

* * *

Ethan had long since powered down in order to use his armoured skin as he threw himself against the door once again, but it didn't seem to budge. "Nothing. Kira? You still hoarse?"

The yellow Ranger just nodded and Tommy put his hand on her shoulder. He looked at Ethan. "We'll have to think of something else."

Ethan nodded and looked around until he saw the light peeking in. "Hey Doctor O? You think you can pole vault?"

"Yeah, why?" He asked and Ethan pointed to the remnants of a window.

"Because you should be able to jump through the window then," he answered. "Get on the other side, break the door, and get us out of here. There isn't any glass left thanks to Kira."

Tommy nodded without hesitation. "Brachiostaff!" The other two stood back and he got a running start, managing to vault out the window. All three were just relieved that he hadn't hit the wall.

Tommy proceeded to run around the building to find the lock, which was simple enough to break. He used the Brachiostaff to do so and they rushed from the building three minutes before it was going to explode. They didn't stop running until that three minutes was up. They stopped after they heard the explosion and rested for a minute. Tommy looked at the two of them. "I think it's fair to say that Trent is definitely evil."

"I'll agree," Ethan said. "I really agree."

Kira was quiet, but she gave a nod as well. The evidence was clearly against Trent as much as she would have liked for it not to have been. She promised herself that she'd apologize to Conner later. Ethan sat up and both looked over at him.

"Here's what I don't get," he said slowly. "Why isn't anyone trying to kill us?"

Kira blinked a few times before she responded. "In case your short term memory really is that bad, Ethan, they did. Remember? The bomb?"

"Yeah, but we survived it. So, why aren't they trying to kill us now?" He asked and Tommy was up.

"Because they weren't just after us," he said, starting to move. The others got up behind him to follow. "If we died in there, that would be great, but they know we're luckier than that."

"Hayley," Ethan whispered.

"Conner!" Kira yelled.

"Kim," Tommy finished grimly. They ran.

* * *

Conner felt something pushing him and groaned, trying to push it away as his head was ringing from being forced awake. It pushed again and he tried to get it away again, but whatever it was, it was just as persistent as he was. It nudged him again and this time he opened his eyes to see Red's robotic face looking down at him. "Red…" he moaned. The raptor, sure he was awake backed off a bit and Conner was able to pull himself up into a sitting position. He tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't obey. He looked to see that they were covered in rubble. Everything was as if the Lair had caved in on itself, though it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It had collapsed in certain areas, but not others. Both entrances were long buried, but he and Kim weren't and they were near the computer now instead of by the stairs. The area around them wasn't caving in more and there was a little room to move around. More if he could have gotten up. All four raptors were with them. Still, being trapped under rubble, with your legs trapped and a knowledge that there was only so much energy took its toll on Conner. Panicking, he tried to get up and became frustrated when he couldn't. Red nuzzled him a bit and he managed to calm down a little. He'd made it this far.

He turned his head to look for Kim and saw her sitting next to him. She was in slightly better condition than he was, but all that meant was she could walk. Plus, while his injuries would heal quicker, hers would take time. "Good morning," she told him and moved closer to him since he couldn't get up. "I tried to call Hayley, but I don't think it went through."

"Do you think she's okay?" He asked and Kim nodded.

"I'm sure she's fine. The others will be back soon. They'll get us out," Kim added. Conner nodded. He wasn't quite sure, but neither of them wanted to think about the others not showing up to save them. "Blue and Yellow have been trying to dig us out of here. It seems to be working, but we couldn't move the beam without you being up. I figured it was best to let them do it since they don't need to breathe."

They were quiet for a moment before Conner spoke up again. "They broke everything."

"I think that Billy needed to come here for a bit anyway. Perfect opportunity," she answered. "I'm hoping that my emergency signal reached Jason anyway."

"I pressed it before I went under. Hey Kim? Sorry I failed," he told her, starting to suffer from the guilt that all Reds seemed to carry around. He was surprised when he was rewarded with a slap to the back of his head. "Hey!"

"Stop listening to Trent," she told him. "It's bad for your health."

Conner rubbed the back of his head. "So, what do we do 'til they get here?" He asked, changing the subject so she didn't hit him again.

"How about I tell you stories from when I was a Ranger?" She asked. He nodded, liking that idea. "Do you have preference?"

"How about when Doctor O was evil?" He asked and she laughed.

"Which time?"

"What do you mean 'which time?!' There was more than once?" He asked and she nodded.

"I was only around for two though. Would you like to hear about one of those times?" She asked and he thought for a moment before shaking his head no.

"Changed my mind. I really don't want to know about all the different ways Doctor O is capable of killing me when I tick him off too bad. Can I hear about that mission that the Reds went on? Please?" He asked and she nodded.

"Sure. I'll even tell you the story about the aftermath."

* * *

Hayley was already there by the time the others arrived. They swarmed her, making sure she was alright, before getting to work on helping to dig through the rubble. While they refused to give up, they all felt a little disheartened that it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere. Pieces of what used to be Tommy's house went every which way and Hayley was able to tell that support beams has been broken. They were broken away from their work when a weird light appeared about an hour later as they looked to see what it brought. Tommy's eyes widened at the sight and at first he didn't say anything while Ethan and Kira were muttering how awesome it was. Tommy felt a little bad that they'd never seen a transporting light before. Billy walked toward him, enveloped him in a hug and smiled. "Guess what I invented?"

"How did you find them all?" Tommy asked and Billy shrugged.

"That is what took the hour to get here," he answered. They smiled at each other until Zack looked up, his business suit dirty by this point and mock-frowned at his old friend.

"Hey! I don't think it's my student and girlfriend that we're saving, so shut up and start digging," he scolded Tommy with a customary Zack smile on his face. It would be even wider once they found Conner and Kim. After all, Conner was a fellow Ranger at the very least and Kim was one of Zack's oldest friends. Tommy quickly obeyed and began to dig as much as he could in order to find them quicker or at least give them oxygen.

It was a sight to behold. Just as they'd managed for the mission to the moon when all of the red (minus Rocky) showed up, this time they'd managed to bring all of the Rangers together. Both generations of the Mighty Morphin', Zeo, Turbo, Space, Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed, Time Force, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, and even the Alien Rangers were all there digging with the Dino Thunder Rangers to find two people who most of them had never met, but that they all felt a connection to. They ripped into the ground to try to get them out.

Finally, they heard a chirping noise as Yellow and Blue had continued to dig from the other side. Most of the Rangers near it stepped back, not sure what it was but Tommy dug closer as Blue made her way toward him. She poked her head out, looked around, and yanked it back in, chirping.

"What'd she say?" A male voice could be heard from above.

"I don't speak raptor, Conner," a female voice answered dryly.

"Well, why not? That would be handy, Kim," he answered. He was far more calm that he had been before she'd spent who knew how long telling him stories.

"You know, Conner. I can move. Far, far away and… Conner! Let go of my arm!" She called out. By now, the majority of the Rangers were trying not to laugh. Tommy was holding his head and Jason, who hadn't stopped himself from laughing quietly, patted his shoulder.

"Not until you promise not to leave me," he answered turning his voice to make it sound like a little kid's just to annoy his mentor a bit. That was the final straw. All of the Rangers burst out laughing at that point and to make matters worse, they heard Conner say one more thing. "Hey Kim? I think I know what Blue was chirping now."

"Gee, thanks Conner," she said just as dryly as before. "Hey! Stop laughing and get us out of here!"

They worked together using the raptors to get into and out of the remains of the Lair. All four raptors, Conner, and Kim were out of there in no time. Tommy rushed to Kim, picking her up and holding her to him. She clung to him just as hard, though she felt a little sick and dizzy from her injuries. Tommy felt someone gently pull her and looked to see Billy looking at them both. "They could have been injured," he reminded them. "It's necessary for us to make sure they are not going to die."

"I'll second that," Conner said quickly, still on Red's back. He still couldn't walk on his legs at the moment since they were still healing. The raptor was being as gentle as possible. "I like living. Hey Kira. Hey Ethan."

Both of his teammates had caught up with him almost as quickly as Tommy had caught up to Kim. Ethan folded his arms. "You're not going to make jokes about how I wasn't here, are you?"

"Maybe later. I'm just glad you guys are okay!" He said and grinned at them. "And that I'm okay. That's a plus."

"Conner…" Kira started, shaking her head. Conner started to shrug, but Kira had managed to fling herself up onto Red's back and was hugging Conner from behind. "I am so sorry!"

"Uh… it's okay?" He offered and looked at Ethan, whispering down toward him. "What am I supposed to say? I'm not used to people apologizing to me. Especially girls."

"You, uh, hold on, I'll go ask," Ethan answered and raced off as he realized he had no experience with women whatsoever. The look on Conner's face was as if Ethan had betrayed him to Trent instead of just leaving him with Kira.

"Ethan?" He asked quietly with an edge of panic to his voice as Kira continued to apologize and quietly cry. He reached around and awkwardly held her back, but he wasn't sure what to do more than that.

"Kira, come on. It's no big deal," he told her, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He just held her to him and looked around for Ethan who was coming back with several of the guys and pointing. He didn't recognize any of them, but they all gave him a thumbs up, so he figured he was doing something right. He turned his attention back to Kira who had started to calm down.

"So, you're not mad?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Not really. See, I'm going to make lots of mistakes which you'll forgive me for. You made one. I think we're even," he told her. She nodded.

"Yeah," she told him. "That's true."

"Well you didn't have to agree that fast," he said, slightly annoyed. She put her hands on her hips.

"Well then don't be right," she snapped back.

"You know, I wasn't that right this time," he argued.

"Yes, you were. You make lots of mistakes. I think I hear your name more than my own most of the time!" She brought up. He rolled her eyes. "Hey! Don't you roll your eyes at me!"

"Why not? You earned it," he told her.

"God! You're such a jock!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded.

"Stuck up, self-involved…" She didn't get to finish as Conner pulled her into a kiss. He gently pulled away and she managed to finish talking. "Great kisser."

Conner couldn't help but to grin at that. "Great, huh?"

"Yeah, well," she said with a shrug. "Didn't see it coming."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have been such a jerk about the whole Trent thing if I'd made sure you knew," he said. "Couldn't have hurt anyway."

"Conner, I…" she started to say, but stopped when Billy came over to check him over, letting him know that he'd be fine. Conner patted Red on the side once Billy was finished. Kira smiled at him. "Attached? He's not going to run off, you know."

"Hey, he's not making me get off and it beats laying on the ground. I think he deserves a little appreciation," he answered. Red bobbed his head. Kim and Tommy made their way over and Conner put his hands up. "I will be perfectly fine, oh Great Ones."

Tommy rolled his eyes while Kim just laughed and reached over to pat Red as well. "Thanks for all the help, Boy," she told him. The raptor bobbed his head again and then opened his mouth dropping something onto the ground in front of Kimberly. Kim's eyes widened. "Uh, is that a hand?"

Tommy made a face. "Yes, it is. I don't think we'll have to worry about Elsa for a while."

"Oh," Kim answered. "Eww."

"Conner, on the other hand, pat the raptor with even more enthusiasm. "So that's why they didn't make sure we were completely dead! Good job, Red!"

Red chirped and strutted around proudly for a bit, not really noticing Kim's disgust. Tommy looked at her. "So, we lost the lair and she lost a hand."

"And Trent lost part of his ear," she added. Conner's eyes widened.

"You cut off his ear?!" He asked and Kim shrugged.

"Well, I was aiming for his face but I missed…" she said.

"You are the coolest mentor ever!" He exclaimed as Kira got off shaking her head and stood beside Ethan who was just laughing. "Hold on, I have to go brag. Come on, Red."

Tommy looked at her and she shrugged. "Well, I –did- take on the white Ranger with no Ranger powers and took something of him down with me. I would like to think that I'm pretty morphinomenal."

"I never meant to say you weren't, Kim," he said and she grinned at him.

"You're just jealous that someone doesn't think you're the best thing since sliced bread," she teased. He put his hands on his hips.

"Give me more credit than that! I'm jealous that one of our students doesn't think I'm the best thing since sliced bread. This is because you make me be the disciplinarian," he joked. She just leaned into him before they went to talk to the other Rangers who weren't going to be able to stay for much longer. After all, an impromptu reunion was still a reunion.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Trent. Trent, Trent, Trent. I'm not big on the "I am evil. Fear me" attitude that they give evil rangers. I like the more subtle evil as well. It's about words and using them to hurt your opponent in a way that they can't heal easily and manipulation. That's what I gave Trent: Manipulation. It's also doing what Trent did. He was able to play on their feelings of good intent toward him in order to be let in. The worst of enemies are those that are hidden to you.

I was leery about attacking the Lair again, but it seemed logical. Hayley's was my other option and while Trent knows that she's involved, he doesn't know that she has anything in the café, so why bother with it? Other than to be obnoxious, but the Trent that I created would rather do more damage than simply be annoying.

Thank you for all of the reviews once again! I always enjoy getting them.


	12. History Told

**Chapter 12: History Told**

"Thanks Billy, I owe you one," Tommy said as the computer master managed to finish rebuilding the computer and other important aspects of the Lair. The house itself was being rebuilt thanks to the best construction company, insurance, and Zack's wallet. Most of the other Rangers had left using Billy's new transportation system to get to their respective homes. They'd stayed for a few hours, but that was all they could get away with on a 'Family Emergency' excuse.

Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Trini, Jason, Billy, and Zack had all been able to stay for a while longer since they were either self-employed or from a different planet. They were all seated in Hayley's café, which was closed to the public for the day, drinking smoothies and letting Billy finish the electronics which he'd jumped at the chance to work on. Ethan was helping the former blue Ranger who gave looks of gratitude to the younger man every once in a while. Occasionally Hayley would say a word or two once she'd sat down since she had been the one to build it in the first place. Billy didn't even glance up at Tommy's words. "I should thank you. I missed this."

"Well that's what you get for not visiting," Rocky teased and Billy did look up long enough to shoot him a look. After all, it wasn't as if it were easy for him to change back and forth. Rocky quickly changed the subject to something more favorable. "Hayley? Do you have any more muffins?"

"On the counter," she answered and glanced at the computer. "No, I'm pretty sure I put that over there."

"Hmm… you are correct," Billy said, a little surprised. At her glare, he quickly amended his statement. "I apologize, Hayley. I was merely surprised at myself for not foreseeing that result. It is unlike me."

"You just haven't been on Earth in while," she told him. "I'm sure once you're back for a while, you'll give me a run for my money."

Billy smiled and nodded at her. The others shook their heads at their excitement and Tommy called out to Ethan. "You might want to hear some of these, Ethan. These old stories can get pretty good."

Ethan looked at Billy who motioned for the teenager to join the others. "Just call me if you need me," Ethan said as he sat down next to Kira and Conner.

Conner looked at Rocky first, a grin on his face. "Is it true? Did you really hide from The Mission?"

"Damn straight!" Rocky said happily to the glares of Tommy and Jason. "Adam answered the phone, I asked who it was, I took the phone, pretended like I couldn't hear a word they said and high-tailed it out of there taking a five day vacation."

Adam shrugged and looked perfectly calm over the whole thing. "I just helped him pack without asking. I rarely want to ask when Rocky does something."

"You helped him pack?" Tommy asked in disbelief. He threw up his hands. "You're all against me."

Jason shrugged. "I showed up."

"Late."

"I showed up. What more do you want from me?" Jason asked with a grin. "Besides, I didn't go into a self-imposed witness protection program from the good guys."

"Good guys! Ha! Don't let them fool you. They cover up their evil ways by saving the world, but they're evil," Rocky said with a tone one would use during a ghost story. The teenagers laughed at his antics. "I was staying out of mischief."

Adam snickered and Zack just laughed. Everyone turned to look at them and Jason laughed harder than them both. "Hey Tommy? I think you had another who turned on you."

Tommy turned and looked at Zack. "You too?"

Kim put her hand on his arm. "I think you had better tell us this story, Rocky."

Rocky grinned and obliged.

_Rocky leaned back against the couch, controller in his hand as he played the video game continuously. Adam was nearby lounging in a chair and reading a book that Aisha had sent him for his birthday. He'd just cracked it open and was enjoying the first bit when the phone rang. He didn't even glance up at it for fear he'd lose a life if he did. "Hey Adam! Can you get that?"_

_Adam sighed since Rocky was closer but he set down the book and reached for the phone anyway. "Hello? Uh huh. Yeah, he's right here."_

_"Who is it?" Rocky asked, pushing pause. Why he didn't do that in the first place was beyond Adam._

_"Tommy," Adam answered and handed off the phone._

_"Hello? Hey Tommy! A what? Yeah, sorry, I think your cell phone is cutting out on me. Hello? Hello? Tommy, are you there? Hello?" Rocky asked and hung up the phone. Adam looked at him with a raised eyebrow._

_"You do know that there was nothing wrong with it, right? And it didn't sound like he was moving," Adam informed him._

_"Hmm… really? That's weird. Oh well. It probably wasn't that important. Anyway, I need to get packed for that vacation I've been talking about," Rocky said as the phone rang again. "Don't bother with that Adam, I'm sure it's not important."_

_"That vacation, huh?" Adam asked, knowing full well that Rocky rarely planned anything nor had he mentioned anything about a vacation. Still, Rocky was his best friend which meant loyalty and it would mean some time alone to read without hearing video game noises which was more important. He'd have the apartment to himself. "I'll help you pack."_

_The answering machine yelled after them as they headed into Rocky's room. "Rocky! Rocky, pick up the phone now! Rocky? Adam? Guys? Pick up the phone!"_

Tommy glared daggers at Adam. "You helped him because you wanted to read a book?"

Adam looked at Tommy, his face completely serious. "Yes. I take my reading seriously."

The others were just laughing and even Adam couldn't hold it in for too long. Aisha turned to Rocky, gently hitting his arm. "I can't believe you did that!"

"I can," Kim said, impressed by her old teammate. "And that was pretty smart. So, what happened next, guys? How did Zack find out?"

"How do you think he funded that little vacation?" Zack scoffed. "You're all a bunch of moochers, you know that?"

The adults all rolled their eyes and a couple even gave some rude hand gestures. Even Hayley snorted a bit at that. All three of the teens, on the other hand, looked a little ashamed. "We're really sorry, Mr. Taylor," Conner said speaking up for the rest of them who just nodded. Zack turned and looked at them.

"Whoa, oops. Didn't mean you three. Just the rest of these moochers that I call my friends and former teammates. Besides, I enjoy spoiling the three of you but someone who will remain nameless though his name starts with a T and ends with ommy won't let me do as much as I'd like," Zack assured them, waving his hand flippantly. He ignored the look Tommy shot him at that. "And call me Zack. We're all family here."

"Yes," Billy said dryly from the computer. "Just what I've always wanted. Rocky and Zack for brothers."

Zack grinned at him. "I know, isn't it great?" Billy rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling.

Conner looked at Rocky and Zack as the laughter quieted. "So, what happened next?"

Zack grinned.

_"Zack? It's Rocky. Are you there?" Rocky asked, holding on to Adam's cell phone. He was pretty sure that Tommy didn't have the number so they had been using it instead of the house phone even before Adam was driving Rocky to the airport. Adam had mentioned that he thought that there would be over 20 messages waiting when he got back. Rocky was betting on 30._

_Zack grinned on the other line as he rested at his desk. He was a little ahead in his work, so he didn't mind taking the time to talk to an old friend of his. "Rocky! Hey!" He answered. "What's up?"_

_Rocky felt a little relieved when Zack answered. It was harder to beg for help when the person wasn't there. "Well, I'm going on a little vacation and I was wondering if you wanted to come with and possibly finance it."_

_Zack thought for a moment and nodded. Any work he had, he could take with him and Rocky was by far one of his favorite people to go anywhere with. Unlike some of their other friends, Rocky had about the same way of thinking as Zack which ended in drinking, girls, and memorable nights. "Sure!" He answered. "Where are we going?"_

_"Vegas," came the reply. "This time, we'll go to Vegas."_

_"This time?" Zack asked._

_"Yep. I'll explain everything later, okay?" Rocky asked._

_"Sounds good. Should I ask why?"_

_"Better not, Zack. Most I can tell you is it involves Tommy."_

_Zack scoffed. "That's reason enough."_

"Don't any of you people ask questions?" Tommy demanded as they temporarily finished. "Any questions? And 'it involves Tommy' is not a good reason to help him escape!"

"Eh," Zack said with a shrug. "It seemed like a good reason to me."

"I just wanted a quiet week," mentioned Adam. "That was it."

Tommy just grumbled over the proceedings. Jason reached out and clapped his friend on the back. "Hey, Bro. Don't let it get to you too much. Being the leader is like being the oldest. They respect you, but you're the one they're going to toy with the most too."

Tommy nodded and smiled back at Jason who had moved back to his place and was relaxing as he waited for the rest of the story which was on hold as they others joked around about Zack and Rocky's 'vacation'. Tommy didn't like to admit it, but he'd been devastated when he'd thought that Jason wasn't going to show up for that mission. It was one of the reasons why he got so defensive over it. It was like a slap in the face that his best friend, his Bro, the man who he was closest to wasn't there when everyone else was. Jason had told him in private later on that he'd had some trouble getting there and that he had felt horrible about possibly letting Tommy down. He'd also let something else slip: that he'd almost physically felt the rejection he knew that Tommy had had. The teamwork, the closeness, had turned into something different for the two of them and after years of nurturing it, it had become physical.

He wondered briefly if Conner, Ethan, and Kira would ever be like them. They would be the veterans of the new generational 'family'. Zack wasn't joking about them being a family, but even these people in front of him were part of a closer family broken off from the larger portion. If the Ranger family were like a family reunion with those you knew as family, who you still loved but barely knew, then they were the backbone of it. Though only the original six carried the burden of mentoring, the other three were on call if needed, just as they had always been starting when they took over for Jason, Trini, and Zack. The three had been the easiest for Billy to locate after the originals. They were the youngest siblings of the original family.

Just as the others, they'd taken to their younger color counterpart. Even Adam and Ethan, while different Ranger colors, had gotten together with Billy to talk about technology. Unfortunately for the Dino Thunder Rangers, having Kim and Tommy as mentors was both help and hindrance. He didn't want to tell them, but they were already being revered just by Kim and Tommy's names alone. The others expected more out of them, for them to live up to their mentors' image. He'd woken up a few nights wondering if those who knew Zordon had expected them to be like him. He could only hope if they did that they had lived up to those standards.

He woke out of his thoughts when he felt something hit him in the stomach, gasping and looked down to see a soccer ball in his lap with Conner's arms folded. "Yes, Conner?"

"Wake up, Doctor O. They won't tell us the rest of the story unless you're listening. Don't know why since we can't see your expression anyway, but I want to hear it," he answered. Tommy rolled his eyes, but motioned for Zack and Rocky to continue anyway which Rocky did.

_The plane ride seemed to take forever for Rocky, not to say that he had several messages once he landed, but he figured that Tommy wouldn't be able to find him here. Adam knew where he was, but his old friend was helping him for some reason. He knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. He looked around and found Zack had already kicking off the weekend by flirting with two women who seemed absolutely enchanted by him. He saw Rocky and motioned for him to come over which he gladly did. They were pretty women after all._

Rocky looked at the teenagers and quickly stopped the story there realizing that he couldn't finish that part and stay alive at the same time. "And we spent a good few days having a good time in Vegas," he said to their disappointment. "Sorry, guys, but Kim and Tommy would have my neck if I was more descriptive than that."

"I already want your neck, Rocky," Tommy growled and Rocky grinned.

"So, I can tell them the story?" He asked hopefully until he saw Kim's laughter turn dark. "Or moving on. Anyway, we spent some time away, the phone calls stopped, and I eventually went back to the house. Which is where I saw Tommy."

Adam shrugged. "I'm a good friend. I wanted a break. I'm not suicidal. Tommy looked ready to kill someone so I invited him in for some food and drink."

"Well, Tommy didn't take it very well," Rocky said and started back into the story.

_"Where were you?!" Tommy yelled as Rocky walked through the door. Rocky shrugged and offered Tommy a smile._

_"Out?" He said and Tommy glared at him._

_"Every other red Ranger shows up for the last mission and you were out?!" He yelled and Adam looked over._

_"There was a mission?" He asked and Tommy nodded. "Oh. Did it go well?"_

_"Yes, we won. No thanks to your goddamned roommate!" Rocky looked at Tommy as his old friend let off steam._

_"If you won, then you didn't need me anyway," Rocky said cheerfully. Tommy's glare increased._

_"You still should have been there," he told him. Rocky shrugged._

_"I was with you in spirit," Rocky told him. Tommy shook his head._

_"Why don't you listen?" He demanded and Rocky thought for a minute._

_"I dunno. Why do you nag?" He asked. Tommy sighed and finally just sat down. Rocky took that time to put the bag into a different room. "Seriously, Tommy, calm down. You won, I didn't go. Was it really that bad that I didn't go?"_

_Tommy sighed. "I dunno, Rocky. I just wanted us all there, you know?"_

_"Yeah, I know. So, did Kim kill you?" He asked, changing the subject a bit._

_"I'm standing here, aren't I?" He asked and Rocky grinned._

_"You could be a ghost. Here, run at the wall and we'll find out."_

_"Why did I want you along?" Tommy demanded._

_"I personally think you're a masochist, but that's just me."_

Rocky sighed. "Good times," he said with a slight sigh and Adam just looked at him.

"Tommy tried to kill you after that statement,' he reminded him. "I had to pull him off you and hide the silverware."

"Yeah, but he was still hanging out with us," Rocky said and grinned. "Plus, those injuries he gave me meant that women were checking me out for days afterward."

"Can't complain about it then," Zack agreed, taking another drink of his smoothie. Most of the others rolled their eyes at the discussion, though both teenage boys couldn't help but nod a little. It sounded good to them, but they were still young.

"Tell us another story. Please?" Kira begged. Both Conner and Ethan looked just as hopeful. "Something really good?"

Jason smiled at them. "Of course, Guys. It's not everyday we get to embarrass Kim and Tommy in front of an audience," he told them and both mentors glared at him. The others just laughed at the response and looked to Jason who, along with his future wife, often told the best stories. "Alright. I might have a couple. They have life lessons in them too, so pay attention. Trini?"

She looked at him, knowing what he was asking her, and paused to think about it for a minute. "Both," she answered. "Then just him."

Tommy looked at his best friend. "Why?"

Jason shrugged. "It's fun. Besides, you'll be able to do it when I have my own team, right?" He asked and Tommy turned to Trini.

"How close to that are you?" He asked and she laughed.

"As far as I was last time, Tommy," she told him and looked at Billy questioningly. He quickly shook his head to indicate that now wasn't the best time. They'd tell the others later. She looked back at Jason and motioned for him to begin. Not only were the Dino Thunder Rangers showing complete attention in such a way that Tommy wished they'd do it in class, but Rocky, Adam, and Aisha had obviously never heard these stories as they leaned in as well. They had come after Jason, after all, and Tommy wasn't good at sharing his embarrassing moments. Jason took a deep breath and began.

_"Where are they?!" Jason demanded as he dodged yet another hit that the monster threw at him. Trini quickly slammed it from the side while Zack attacked it quickly after from behind to give Jason some breathing room. They'd already fought off all of the putties so that wasn't an issue any longer, but there still was the monster to deal with and they were down two team members. Billy looked up from his communicator and helped Zack with an attack before they ran back to Jason to regroup. "Billy, where are they?"_

_"Due to the unlikely possibilities of the removal of their communicators, there is no known explanation as to the reason for their deficiency in communication," he stated. Jason looked over at Trini._

_"He doesn't know," Trini answered. "They should be here."_

_"They should, but they're not! This is the third battle they've been late to!" He snapped, hitting the monster straight on before falling back with the others. Trini nodded and helped him up._

_"It never used to bother you," she mentioned and Jason shrugged._

_"He wasn't the leader at that point," Jason reminded her. "Watch your left, Zack! Your other left! He should be here leading, not me!"_

_The monster started to throw them around like rag dolls and Jason quickly analyzed the situation. He'd been trying to hold out for Tommy and Kim to get there, but he wasn't sure if they had that long so they would have to do this the hard way. "Billy, Trini, left. Zack, right. T,Z, B, J. Go!"_

_If there was one thing that Jason had learned by now, it was that most monsters didn't have a very high IQ. They didn't need one to smash and kill. So, by using letters, pig-latin, or anything similar, they were often able to verbalize a plan without having to worry about the monster figuring it out. They were also lucky that this certain monster didn't seem to know his lefts and rights very well either as they hit him in the order that Jason had laid out. Jason pulled out his sword and the others quickly copied him and they struck with their weapons._

_Still, it got back up. Jason felt more than a little worried at this point. His friends had never been this late before. The monster stood ready and they watched as an arrow hit it and knocked it down. Jason looked up and saw his two friends, morphed, and running toward the fight. Tommy quickly took the lead and they managed to work as a team to finish it before having to get in their Zords and do the whole thing over again._

_Still, when they finished, Jason couldn't help but to demorph and glare at the two. "Where the hell were you?!"_

_They both looked a little embarrassed. Tommy looked one way and Kim looked the other. It was only then that Jason noticed that their hair was wet and their clothes had the dampness that came with putting on clothes without drying off first. "Well…" Kim started._

_"We were, uh, and umm…" Tommy added. Jason's eyes widened as he realized that Tommy wasn't wearing trunks, only shorts. He glanced over at the embarrassed face of Kim and saw that she was biting her lip. She'd tell him if he wanted her to._

_Jason realized something and he realized it quickly. He might have been annoyed but he was pretty sure that he didn't want to hear this story when it involved his surrogate little sister. "If we never mention this again and it never happens again, I won't kill you," he said to Tommy._

_Tommy grabbed the lifeline. "Deal."_

Conner was stuck in the position where he wanted to both laugh and be disgusted. He chose to block out certain aspects of the story and laugh, which looking to see his teammates had done the same, seemed to be the right choice. "Dude, you made me look good," Conner told his teacher.

Tommy glared at the teenager. "Don't call me dude and I wasn't that bad."

Conner rolled his eyes and turned back to Jason. "That was awesome. Tell the next one!" He said and quickly added, "Please."

Jason pretended to think about it for a minute as they looked on anxiously before breaking out in a grin. "Okay. This one only involves Tommy though, so you don't have to worry about needing therapy for the next 10 years."

Zack grinned at them. "By the way, we're banking on one of you becoming a therapist," he told them. "With all of the issues we Rangers seem to have, we need someone we can all go to."

Trini gently hit Zack upside the head. "Stop that," she scolded. "You're scaring them."

Before it could escalate, Billy looked over at Jason. "Perhaps it would be in all of our best interests if you would continue with the story, Jason?"

Jason quickly nodded.

_One would expect Switzerland not to contain the problems of home thus allowing for the former red Ranger to get some peace and quiet, only having to worry about the Peace Conference squabbles. He would expect that all he would be doing is helping out and learning everything he needed to while getting a decent amount of sleep a night and occasionally scolding Zack for flirting with every woman at the conference. He would expect that he would get letters from his friends at home with hidden meanings to tell him what was going on both in the normal and Ranger fronts. What he didn't expect was a phone call at two in the morning from a nearly irate white Ranger begging him for help. At least, he was pretty sure that's what it was as he was still waking up and Tommy was talking nearly as fast as his girlfriend often did._

_"Jason! Help me!" Tommy nearly whined on the other end as he finished. Jason sighed and leaned against the pillow, phone to his ear. He wasn't sure where Tommy was getting the money for long-distance calls, but he wasn't too pleased with whoever was giving him the money either._

_"You can figure it out," Jason muttered, still waking up. "You're the leader now."_

_"I've been the leader, but you were here, Jason!" Tommy whimpered. "You were able to talk to me about it."_

_"Tommy, we've been through this. You're ready. Just trust yourself, Kim and Billy. Those two know your weaknesses and they can cover them up if needed until Rocky, Adam, and Aisha grow to know and trust you," Jason patiently explained again. It wasn't that they were at odds with the trio, but when Jason had started, he was among friends who were used to following his lead. When Tommy showed up, he was still aching from being evil and it was easier for him to follow Jason's lead. The newest members were used to trusting each other and while they were teammates, both Tommy and Jason knew that it would take a little longer for them to fall into the pattern of trust that the leader needed to have. Jason sighed. "Now, what have you been doing right?"_

_"Well, I haven't been late with Kimberly," he said helpfully. Jason snorted._

_"Definitely a step in the right direction," he told him. "What else?"_

_"They're functioning as a team?" He suggested and Jason threw his head against his pillow in aggravation._

_"Try again. This time without asking me," Jason suggested._

_"They're functioning as a team," Tommy stated. Even though the other couldn't see him, Jason nodded._

_"Good. See you're doing fine. I'm going to get some sleep," Jason informed him._

_"But how do I handle this?" Tommy asked, slight panic coming back._

_"You'll think of something. You're the leader now and you're doing fine. Good night, Tommy," Jason answered._

_"But…"_

_"Good-night, Tommy," Jason said a second time and hung up the phone only to see Zack up and looking at him._

_"Tommy call again?" The other boy whispered and Jason nodded. "Man. You explained time zones to him yet?"_

_"I tried the first time. He forgot. Imagine that," Jason answered sardonically. He could tell he sounded grumpy and this wasn't the first time. "You expecting any important calls?"_

_"Nah. And they don't call us either, so don't worry about," Zack told him. Jason shot him a thankful look and called down to the front desk asking them not to let anymore calls through for that night. Both Zack and Jason smiled at each other and fell back asleep._

Tommy turned red as he felt everyone staring at him. Even Hayley and Billy had paused to look over at him. He'd pulled himself up to be a good leader, but he had just been so dependent on Jason for a length of time. It hadn't been easy to break away from the mold. "Thank you, Jason," he muttered, knowing he was turning red. Jason grinned.

"Anytime, Tommy," he assured his friend who groaned even louder. Jason waited until they'd all finished laughing before he looked at Tommy. "Alright. Other than Kim, I don't think any of us know how you met Hayley. I want to hear that story."

"Nope. I'm not telling it," Tommy said. "I've been embarrassed enough for one night, thank you very much."

"I'll tell it!" Hayley offered, looking at Billy. "Are you going to be able to handle this alone?"

"I need a break anyway," he assured her. "I would like to hear this as well."

"Hayley!" Tommy exclaimed. "Come on!"

"I don't have any Ranger stories to tell," she reminded him. "So, this is my contribution."

"Yay," Tommy grumbled. He glanced over at Kim for help, but she was just sharing a grin with Hayley. Hayley moved over to where the others were and sat down near Tommy and Kim as she began.

_Hayley rested against the back of the bench as she went over her work for the third time. She knew it was right and usually didn't doubt herself this much, but it had taken forever for her to be allowed into the upper class and she wanted to prove that she could do this. It wasn't easy for her to convince the professors that she could take the upper division courses and if she failed, she probably wouldn't be able to get into any others. The class she was in now had a professor with a history of giving chances to younger students. She didn't want to blow it. She finished checking it over, deciding that it was as good as she could get it and put it back into her bag, pulling out another book. She reached for a pencil when the book was shadowed._

_She knew that being outside meant that she had to deal with people, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. She was out there for the sun, not the other students. The look on her face wasn't cheerful when she looked up at a young man who looked both embarrassed and a little intimidated by the young woman's stare. "What do you want?" She demanded._

_"Uh… Hayley Ziktor?" He asked and she rolled her eyes._

_"Yep. What do you want?" She demanded again. She was more than annoyed now since she didn't want to deal with him._

_"Professor Burbank said that you might be able to help me since I have a little trouble with the class. I called your dorm, but your roommate said you were here," he explained. She looked at him without saying a word. "In high school I had a friend who would help me, but the long distance is bad and he doesn't have the internet and…"_

_"If I don't agree, are you going to babble for the next three hours?" She asked. He looked even more embarrassed, his face turning a bright red. "Yeah, okay, I'll help you."_

_His face became a friendly smile. "Thanks! I'm Tommy Oliver, by the way."_

_"I'm Hayley. Now sit down and let's go over the problems, huh?"_

"You know," Tommy said. "You really were arrogant."

"Yeah, but it knocked you down a few pegs, didn't it? You didn't know how to react to someone who didn't see you as the all great Tommy Oliver. Kim even bought me a 'Thank you, Hayley' cake because of it," Hayley said. Tommy looked over at Kim who shrugged.

"I use every opportunity I have to get to eat cake," she told him. Hayley grinned and everyone laughed a bit at that. Kira looked over.

"Is that when you found out Doctor O was a Ranger?" She asked and Hayley shook her head.

"Not quite. I didn't find out about that until a few months later. That's also when I met Kim," she told them. At their insistence, she continued on to that part of the story.

_"You're back," Hayley said as she opened the door to Tommy's house. Since he'd left for Angel Grove, he'd asked her to watch the apartment while he was gone which she quickly accepted. Tommy didn't have too many friends and oddly enough, none that were similar to the relationship he had with the younger genius where he trusted her that long in his house. Then again, she'd freely admitted that she'd only accept if he allowed her to eat whatever she wanted in his kitchen. Since she normally had to eat dorm food, it was understandable and a nice change for her._

_"Yeah," he answered solemnly. He was holding a young woman close to him and neither looked too happy. He helped her in the house and put down his bags as Hayley shut the door._

_"What are you upset for? You went to Angel Grove, right? Shouldn't you be happy? I saw the news. There were parties and everything," she informed him. The woman beside him nearly broke down again and he ignored Hayley as he turned to her._

_"Why don't you go lie down?" He offered gently. She nodded and walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind her drowning out any cries or sobs she was going through._

_"Tommy, are you okay?" Hayley asked, finally looking a little worried when he just stood there after. Once again, he didn't answer her, but instead pulled out a piece of metal. He stared at it for a minute, twirling it in his fingers so that she had a hard time seeing what it was. Finally he stopped and just looked at it again before yelling and throwing it against the wall as hard as he could._

_"What was the point?" He roared. "What did any of it matter if that's how it ended?! We could have stopped it! He should have asked us to! He should have found a way!"_

_Hayley moved away from Tommy as he went off. She had the feeling that he'd completely forgotten she was there and she wanted to keep it that way until he calmed down. He headed over to the couch and nearly fell into the seat. It took her a moment to realize that he was breaking down himself, that's he'd obviously had to keep himself together a bit before now. She walked over to the piece of metal he'd thrown down and looked at it._

_It was rectangular with a gold coin in the middle with a tiger on it. She stared at it for a moment, but even if she had been completely dense, the two words: Power Ranger was written upon it in a circle which surrounded the golden coin. She had known that Tommy was from Angel Grove, the frontlines for the defense of the world, but this was beyond anything she'd ever though of before. She glanced over at Tommy, who was quietly crying on the couch, and sat down next to him, unsure of what to say._

_"Maybe he couldn't," she said quietly, though she still didn't know who 'he' was. "Maybe there wasn't another way."_

_Tommy looked at her, shocked that she was still there. He sighed and looked away from he seemingly annoyed. "You don't understand. Go home, Hayley."_

_"I don't understand what, Tommy? Understand that you're hurting? That's you're angry? That you feel this guy let you down?" She asked. He opened his mouth and looked into her eyes. Even before she said it, he knew that she knew. "Or I don't understand what it's like to be a Power Ranger. 'Cause you're probably right about that last one, but I think I understand the rest of it."_

_He stared at her. "How?" He asked and she tossed him the morpher._

_"You threw it against the wall. In front of me. It wasn't hard to figure out," she told him. "Besides, I would have put two and two together eventually."_

_He nodded at that. "I don't…"_

_"But you need to," she told him. "Look, I realize that we're not exactly best friends here, but you're the only friend I've got and I know I'm the only one here that you've got. So, talk to me."_

_"You'll listen?" He asked. "Not yell at me for babbling on?"_

_"Yeah," Hayley agreed. "And I'll make the two of you dinner too. You've got to eat."_

_"Thanks, Hayley," Tommy said quietly and began. He told her everything from being evil to when he gave up the Turbo power to T.J. He told her of the friendships he'd made, the partings that had brought sorrow, and new beginnings that seemed to even it all out. She had begun dinner near the end of the Zeo chapter and still listened intently as the story finished._

_"Feel better?" She asked and Tommy nodded._

_"Yeah. I do," he said._

_"So, if it was such a great time in your life, why are you so upset?" She asked, knowing he'd dodged the question. He bit his lip, not quite sure what to say at that._

_"Zordon died." The voice didn't come from Tommy's mouth and both of the two turned to see Kim standing in the bedroom's doorway. "That's why."_

_"Kim, I…" Tommy started and the former pink Ranger shook her head._

_"She found out." It wasn't a question, but Tommy nodded anyway. She looked at Hayley. "That's why. Zordon died."_

_Hayley nodded, not sure what she was supposed to say. Finally, she decided to nod and change the subject. "Dinner's almost ready," she said._

_"Good," Kim said, gratefully talking the change. "I'm hungry."_

_Tommy just nodded his agreement, though he did remember enough manners to introduce them. "Hayley Ziktor, this is Kimberly Hart. Kim, this is Hayley Ziktor."_

_"Nice to meet you," Kim said. "Dinner looks good."_

_"Likewise and thank you," Hayley said. After that, dinner was silent._

"So, I made two friends and eventually became a better human being for it," Hayley said with a shrug. Kim smiled at her friend and Tommy nodded. "I couldn't have asked for anything better, really."

"And thus lives the only honorary Power Ranger I know of," Zack said happily and leaned over to Conner half-whispering. "She's adopted."

"Zack!" Kim and Tommy both exclaimed, but even they joined in on the laughter when everyone else did.

"Besides," Trini reminded him. "Others have found out."

"Yeah, but it's not the same somehow," Zack disagreed. "I don't know why, but it just isn't."

Billy looked at him. "It's quite simple. She knows, but has never used it to her advantage. She is not related to any of us. She assisted us with both mentoring and developing technology to help us with our cause though it was not necessary to her survival nor was it financially gratifying other than the café which Tommy and Kim offered after she'd been assisting for months. Finally, she helped two of our teammates accept and understand the sense of lost once Zordon died."

Kim nodded. "It was almost like the last thing that Zordon could do for us, you know? Send us someone who could help us."

Billy laughed. "I would not put it past him. Zordon knew more than any of us."

"Yeah, yeah," Hayley said. "Keep up the flattery, but you're still not getting free drinks."

"Mean," Zack whined. "How about me? Can I have free drinks?"

"No."

"But I helped finance it," he whimpered. She rolled her eyes.

"As a present," she reminded him. He folded his arms and continued to pout, though he still paid when the time came which wasn't too far after. It had seemed like they'd just shown up yet now they were forced to leave due to jobs and other factors of normal life. Rocky, Aisha, Adam, and Zack exchanged hugs and promises of visits with the others, though they quickly got the same promise from Billy before they morphed out. Billy turned to Jason and Trini.

"Do you two need to leave as well?" He asked and Trini shook her head.

"No. We forgot to tell them while Zack was here," Trini groaned. Billy shrugged.

"He already knows," he assured her. "And perhaps it is better this way. I already hear enough about it from Zack. I do not wish for Adam, Rocky, and Aisha to add to it."

"Hear about what?" Kim asked and Trini looked at Billy, who just nodded for her to tell them.

"Well, Billy created the new power source. It won't be perfected for a little while, but it is stable now," Trini began. Tommy looked a little confused.

"That's good news, right? Why would Zack give him flack over that?" Tommy asked and Trini looked over at Billy who was very interested in the computer by this point.

"It's not the power source, exactly, it's that he didn't take into consideration with the materials he had how strong the power would be. So, everything he'd taken the time to create is, uh, useless," she answered. Jason, Tommy, and Kim all stared at their own friend who felt more and more embarrassed.

"It was a simple miscalculation," he muttered. "Stop staring at me."

"Sorry, Billy," Kim said. "It's just… well…"

"We didn't see it coming?" Tommy offered. "So, it's probably going to take a while to fix, huh?"

"Not precisely," Billy answered and Trini took back over.

"As we all know, I haven't been able to find a power source, so I started to build around that. Ironically, my work will support it," she answered. "So, since he's here, I'm sending it back with Billy to be perfected with the power. Soon enough, we'll have a working power source."

"That's great!" Kim said. "If the Dino morphers ever go down, it would be nice to have a back up supply."

"But you're not replacing us, right?" All of the adults turned to look at the three nervous teenagers. Conner had asked the question, but the other two looked just as apprehensive.

"Of course not," Kim promised. "We're just being cautious."

Tommy nodded. "By the time I retired, I'd already gone through three different colors and five different power changes. By the time Jason, Trini, and Zack left, they had different Zords than when they first started. We're just being careful."

Conner nodded. "Makes sense."

"Good," Kim said. "Then no more worrying about that. How long until the house is finished, do you think?"

"A couple weeks at least," Tommy guessed. "And that doesn't include the lab."

"Well, at least you have a working computer," Hayley offered. "Billy's done."

"I couldn't have done it without Hayley," he answered modestly. "So, where are these raptor cycles I've heard about?"

"Forest," Hayley answered, standing up. "So normal people don't go near them. Some of my best work, really."

"A simple fix?" He asked her and she nodded.

"More than likely. I bet I can finish two by the time you get one done," she teased. He looked at her, though he was smiling.

"Not a fair assessment. You built them and have had to repair them before while I have no prior knowledge of them. Therefore, I get Ethan," he stated calmly. Ethan's head whipped around and he looked at the former blue Ranger not sure what to say. "Unless, of course, he doesn't wish to accompany us."

"No, no, he wants to," Ethan said quickly, grabbing his bag. "Bye guys, see you later!"

The three headed out the door discussing various computer aspects that none of the others understood, other than Trini who wasn't in a translating mood at this point. Kim leaned against the seat of the couch. "We should lock up and get you guys home."

"Or we could stay here a little long," Conner suggested. "I want to hear more embarrassing stories about my mentors."

"I second that," Kira added quickly. "And don't worry about leaving Ethan out. We'll fill him in later."

"Promise," finished Conner. Both of the youngest Rangers were grinning. Tommy and Kim groaned at that, but Jason smiled at their eager faces.

"Well now. How can I say no to that?" He asked and with that, began another tale which they actively listened to, spending the rest of the day drinking smoothies and laughing.

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** I needed a drama break and other than Hayley's story, I think I got it. It was a nice, calm chapter. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the background with Hayley and I might do a side story with that later. If that happens, it will probably include some of Mercer and Smithy as well since they are part of the past as well.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to let Kat and Tanya stay as well during story-time, but I finally decided against it. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha made more sense to me because they really were part of the original power. Tanya, and even Kat, were more Zeo Rangers instead.

Thank you once again for the reviews! I always enjoy getting them.


	13. Finding Trouble

**Chapter 13: Finding Trouble**

"You're wrong," Conner told his companions as he struggled to get away from them. "There is no way I am ever going to need to do this as a Ranger."

"You don't know that," Kira disagreed as she helped Ethan drag their leader. Considering that Conner had dug his heels into the ground, it was easier said than done. "Besides, if Mesagog ever finds out…"

"Don't you two have fears? Big fears?" He asked and Ethan shrugged.

"Maybe, but it's not as outward as yours, Conner," he answered. He looked over at Kira. "You know, if we would have told Doctor O about it or even Jason, they probably could have done this a lot easier."

"Remember when we had that talk about dignity?" Kira asked. Ethan looked at her funny.

"We never had a talk on dignity," he answered, sounding more than a bit confused. Kira paused only for a second.

"Oh. We're having one now then. Conner has dignity. Not a lot, but it's still there. Getting dragged by two of his classmates is a lot less embarrassing that being dragged by two older guys, one of which being his science teacher," she said. Ethan grumbled.

"Maybe, but I bet he would have ran for the water," Ethan muttered. Conner looked at both of them as he put even more weight into staying put.

"Guys! I'm still here!" He reminded them. They shrugged and pulled harder, knocking all of them to the ground. Fortunately, it didn't hurt too much since they'd landed on a mix of sand and grass, but they still felt ridiculous as they scrambled over each other to try to get up. To make matters worse, they heard laughter and looked up to see Derrick, one of Conner's soccer teammates as well as some others laughing at them. Conner immediately got to his feet, helping Kira and Ethan up as well as they tried to save what was left of their dignity.

"See what hanging around geeks and freaks gets you, McKnight?" He asked and Conner gave him a fake smile. Both Kira and Ethan moved to protest, but Conner gently stopped them and stood in front of them.

"I've seen you play, Derek, and I think that the 'geek' could score better than you and the 'freak' would actually pass. I think I'll spend time with people who actual contribute to society instead of a loser who flunks classes and sponges of my talent," he answered. He was actually quite proud of himself for the wording. Of course, he realized that it was probably from listening to the other members of his group and he was pretty sure that Ethan and Kira had both used some of those insults against him before, but all in all he was still proud. That pride is probably why he didn't see Derrick's fist until it connected with his face and Conner went down hard.

Ethan's temper boiled over at he headed at the jock with Kira not too far behind, but Conner quickly got up and stopped them, dragging them away from the bully. Both were protesting as Conner ignored them. Once they were far enough away, Ethan pulled away and glared at his leader. "What the hell? He deserved to get his ass beat!"

"Ethan's right, Conner!" Kira agreed. "I mean, he started it."

Conner sighed and nodded, but lifted his wrist. "Ethan, dude, your skin gets hard when your get angry and when you fight. And Kira? When was the last time you willingly participated in a sport? Do you think they'll really believe that you've been taking martial arts for years?"

"So, we pummel them a little. So what?" Ethan asked still furious, but Kira was calm enough to see Conner's point.

"The Ranger code, remember?" Conner whispered, looking around as he said it. "We're not allowed to use our power for personal gain or reveal our identities. Do you want to explain to Kim and Doctor O that we broke those two rules in one day?"

Ethan looked at Kira and both of them shared a nervous look. Kira gave Conner a thankful look. "Good thinking," she told him and then put her hands on her hips giving him a mock stern look. "When did you get responsible?"

"Uh… lucky day?" Conner suggested with a wink and she smiled back at him.

"Guys, we've got a problem," Ethan said, calling them out of their flirting. They both turned to look at him and he pointed to Conner without saying a word. Kira's eyes widened as she realized what Ethan had realized and both of them look more than a little nervous. Conner looked at both of them and then at himself as he tried to see if he was turning into some sort of monster or worse: a science teacher, but he couldn't find anything wrong with him.

"What's wrong?" He finally asked and Kira reached up and touched where Derrick had hit him.

"Does that hurt?" She asked and he shook his head. He'd gone through worse. "Conner, you're healing, right?"

"Yeah, part of being a Ranger, Kira," he said keeping his voice down.

"I know. So, how are you going to explain it being completely gone by tomorrow?" She asked worriedly. Conner looked at her, she looked at Ethan, and Ethan looked at Conner. They paused only for a moment before racing past Derrick and the others to the car that was nearby, ignoring anything they called out at the trio. Conner had covered his eye by this point so that no one could see the healing that had already taken place. He tossed the keys to Ethan, claiming to Kira that Ethan might actually be able to help rebuild it if he crashed it, and jumped in the front seat while Kira got in back.

Ethan managed to keep to the speed limit beyond his panic, though that was mostly because Conner was begging him not to crash his car and Kira was screaming about not wanting to die in a fiery crash. All of them piled out of the car, Conner and Kira nearly falling over each other to get inside the café where Tommy and Kim were staying until the house and lair was rebuilt. Kim and Tommy both looked up from what they were doing when the three raced into the spare room that Hayley had set up for them. Tommy was up quicker as the two saw their panic while Kim was pulling herself up a little more slowly as she headed over.

"What is it?" Tommy demanded.

"What's wrong?" Kim asked more gently, but with just as much worry. Ethan and Kira both looked at Conner who moved his hand so that they could see the black eye. "What happened?"

"You got in a fight?" Tommy added and Conner held up his hands defensively.

"I didn't mean to! I was using words. He decided to use fist…" Conner started to say when Tommy cut him off.

"That doesn't mean you could get in fight, Conner! Your abilities are part of you!" Tommy reprimanded him. Conner looked over at Ethan and Kira for help and they both came to the defense.

"He didn't…" Kira started.

"That's not why we're here…" Ethan tried to explain. Conner was starting to look just as red as his shirt at Tommy's accusations. He had tried to be responsible, but apparently, that got him nothing here.

"You can't fight!" Tommy argued.

"I wasn't fighting! I never said I was fighting! God, Doctor O! Why don't you ever listen to me?!" Conner demanded.

"Grow up and maybe I will!" Tommy argued. The four of them, without waiting for others to finish, continued to argue until an extremely loud whistle broke them out of it. They all turned to see Kim standing there, hands on her hips, glaring at all four.

"That is enough!" She told them. "We are in the café. You can't make that kind of racket. Now, Conner, tell us what happened."

"You know what? It's no big," Conner muttered. "I can handle this on my own."

Ethan and Kira both looked over at him and exchanged glances. Ethan spoke up first. "Hey, uh, we'll come with you."

"Yeah," Kira added. "We can help."

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Conner said as he headed out the door with the other two on his heels. Kim just sighed and looked at Tommy.

"I don't think you alienated them enough," she quipped. "Now go chase them down and find a reason to blame Kira and Ethan too."

"Kim," he sighed. She didn't yell, she didn't run out of the room, but she did just look at him with her arms folded. He closed his eyes. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Yes. We'll find out what happened later. For now, we're going to let them blow off some steam," she told him. "And you might as well do that too."

Tommy sighed, but nodded. "You're right."

"So, what made you go off this time?" She asked and, by his body language, he looked a little embarrassed over the whole thing. "I mean, Conner has his moments, but Ethan seems to have a worse temper than him. We don't know what happened and unless it was with Trent, I don't see Conner getting into a fight."

"It's not that…" he muttered and Kim just looked at him. He wrapped his arms around her from behind holding her to him. "You're not the only one we almost lost."

Kim couldn't help but to start laughing. "You went off on him because you were worried?"

"Yes," he grumbled, not wanting to admit it. Kim turned around and tried to stop laughing, though the absurdity of the statement caused her to break out in laughter again after a minute. Though she couldn't see it, she could feel the scowl. "Thanks for making me feel better."

"I'm sorry," she laughed. "I just… wow. Well, more than likely someone will catch up with them. If not Hayley and Billy with the way they ran through the café, then Jason and Trini. Either man will beep me when they're ready to come back."

"I know I'm going to regret this, but how do you know that?" He asked and she grinned.

"Because we set up 'Operation Falconer' just in case something like this happened. You know, over protective or just overly angry so that the kids wouldn't get on the fastest bus out of here," she answered cheerfully. "It was Jason's idea, but I named it. He wanted to call it Dragonslayer, but that would imply death and we didn't like that. Nothing went with tigers and your spirit guide is a falcon, so I thought that 'Falconer' was the perfect name for it."

"Do they have one for you?" He asked in annoyance and she thought for a moment and nodded.

"Yep. 'Operation Mother Hen'. They made it after yours using the Crane since we already used the falcon. The guys named that one, though I believe it was Zack who gave them the idea," she answered. "We were going to tell you, but I thought you finding out this way would be funnier."

"Kim…"

"Yes?" She asked, giving him the sweetest look she could. He groaned and headed away from her as Kim just grinned.

* * *

"Conner?" Kira gently pushed. "We know you're mad, but we should still get some help."

Conner just glared at her and she glanced over at Ethan who gently, but firmly grabbed his arm. "Conner, man, we don't want to mess this up. We'll go to Jason and Trini. They're still in town."

Conner paused and then nodded, allowing his friends to drag him off to the hotel where Jason and Trini were staying. Kira knocked politely on the door while Ethan and Conner stood behind her. After a moment, Trini opened the door and did a quick take on the situation before ushering them in. "Jason, the teens are here," she called and Jason came out, looking them over and frowning when he saw Conner.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking Conner's eye over.

"Yeah," Conner answered, pulling away self-consciously. "Look, Jason, it's healing… and we don't know how to handle it."

Jason nodded and looked at Trini, motioning for her to handle it. "You're better at this, Honey," he reminded her and she nodded.

"You're not going to be overly happy with the solution," she told Conner sympathetically. "But it's the best that we were able to come up with."

Conner looked over at Jason who mouthed 'make-up' and Conner shook his head. "No thanks. I'll, uh, figure something else out."

Conner wasn't sure how it happened, but all he knew was that somehow Ethan and Kira had managed to hold him down while Trini applied it. Jason just winced, obviously having gone through the same thing before. Conner looked in the mirror afterward, looking at the stage makeup that Trini had applied and had to admit that it looked real even if he didn't like how it had gotten there. Trini stood behind him as he looked. "Well?"

"Alright, alright. It looks real enough," he admitted. "So, how long do I have to do this?"

"About one week," Trini answered. "Though over the course of it, we will have to lessen the 'bruise.'"

Conner groaned and both of his friends tried to look sympathetic though they both looked like they were trying not to laugh at his fit. Jason set a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "It could be worse and we've all been through it. I have, Rocky has, Tommy has… and it always seems like it's harder for the Reds."

Conner just nodded. "Yeah, well, not the worse part of my day, I guess," he muttered. Jason motioned for him to sit down. While he didn't tell them to, both Ethan and Kira did as well on opposite sides of Conner while Jason sat in front of him.

"What happened?" Jason asked. His fiancé sat down next to him as Conner's face darkened a little.

"He didn't listen to me," Conner answered. Jason didn't need to ask who as he put his head in hand. He glanced at Trini who nodded and picked up her cell-phone. Conner looked confused at it and Jason smiled.

"She's doing some clean up," he said with a grin, but it quickly turned serious again after a moment. "Look, I know he's an idiot sometimes, you've heard the stories, but it's his way of caring. He's scared."

Of all the things Conner had expected to hear, that was not one of them. "He's what?"

"Scared. Of losing you," Jason answered calmly. "I'm sure he's worried about Kim as well, but none of us are as worried about each other anymore. When the house collapsed, he wasn't there. Kim was, but she's not active right now. You are, but there was only one of you with less experience. So, he's feeling guilty and scared that next time you might not be so lucky."

"So… how come you're not worried about it?" Conner asked. Jason shrugged.

"You can handle it," he answered. You're all capable," he told him. "And it's not that he doesn't think you're capable, but he worries and when he's worried, sometimes he gets a little angry and the rest of us need to rein him in."

Kira glanced over at Trini. "Is that what she's doing?"

Jason nodded. "Close enough anyway. With everything that's been going on, do you think you can forgive and forget, Conner? If he apologizes?"

"If he apologizes," Conner agreed, relaxing a bit. Jason pulled out his cell-phone and handed it to Conner who took it and dialed the number. Trini was hanging up at about the same time. He waited and heard Tommy's voice on the other end. "Doctor O?"

"Conner, look I…" Tommy started, but Conner cut him off, deciding he didn't really need it to be said.

"Yeah, I know. No worries."

* * *

"So, Doctor O and Jason are doing what?" Kira asked. Ethan was sitting on the couch, computer in front of him, but he too was paying attention to their excited leader.

"Taking me out in the woods. Just the three of us, a Red trip," he answered as he downed his smoothie. "It's going to be great."

"Do you even like the woods?" Kira asked and Conner shrugged.

"Does it matter?" He asked. "I get to go with them!"

"Give it up, Kira," Ethan suggested. "He's been at it for about an hour now."

"Look who's talking. How many times did I have to hear about how Billy asked you to come with?" Conner teased and then paused. "We all tend to get that way, don't we?"

"Yeah. I think it's the hero worship thing," Kira answered. "Kim and Trini promised to do the same with me. Kim and I are going to work on music, but in a relaxed way and Trini is going to show me some moves that you guys don't know."

"They seem to enjoy it," Ethan said with a shrug. "I mean, Billy talks to me without dumbing anything down and he seemed happy that I was keeping up."

"Yeah. Kinda makes you feel for Zack though. I mean, Doctor O is the black one, so who does he impart words of wisdom on?" Kira asked. Conner thought for a moment and shrugged.

"All of us? I mean, that's what he did anyway," Conner decided. "So, we exchange stories when we get back, right?"

Ethan nodded. "Definitely."

Kira agreed as well, but glanced at the door. "Well, Jason and Doctor O are here. Have a good time, Conner," she said, kissing his cheek. He grinned at her.

"You too," he told her and looked at Ethan. "And you, though how you can have fun like that…"

"Like kicking a ball around or traipsing around in the woods is more fun?" Ethan asked, but both boys grinned at each other before Conner ran off. "Maybe they'll get him to go swimming."

"And maybe Trent will turn good in five minutes," Kira answered sardonically. Ethan just laughed.

* * *

They were finally sitting down, relaxing from the hike that they'd gone on. Conner and Jason had both been talking while Tommy joined in every once in a while. Jason had informed their young companion not to take it personally since Tommy mostly kept to himself from everyone. Conner glanced up from the food he was eating. "So, what are we really doing up here?"

Jason looked a little surprised while Tommy just laughed. "Caught us, Conner?"

"Yeah. Not that I'm not enjoying myself, but you guys tend to have a reason for doing stuff," he explained.

Jason looked at Tommy who looked right back at his friend. Shrugging, Jason took the lead. "It's about Kira."

"What about Kira?" Conner asked anxiously. "She's okay, right?"

"She's fine," Jason assured him. "We noticed the kiss and, well, if you're not already, then you two will probably end up in a relationship."

Conner's face paled. He began to hope feverishly that they weren't about to give him a sex talk. He'd already clumsily gone through that with his father and he didn't want to do it again. He glanced over at Tommy who noticed his panic and shook his head quickly. "We don't want to talk to you about that. God, I never want to have that talk with anyone. No, we just know how different it is to date as a Ranger."

"Different?" Conner asked. "How different can it be? I mean, obviously dating a non-Ranger is different now, but at least with another Ranger, there isn't that secret."

"You're right," Jason agreed. "Dating someone who isn't a Ranger is hard as hell because you can't explain it all to them and they begin to feel cheated. I've been there. But no matter how hard it got for me, I still think Tommy had it worse."

"Doctor O?" Conner asked in confusion. "Why?"

Tommy took a breath and after a few seconds, stood up. "Two reasons. The first is that there is worry from both sides. Look at how Kim and I get. We've had experience, but I've dated two Rangers and it doesn't get easier. The closer you get, the more you're going to want to protect her. The more she's going to worry about you. To make matters worse, you might accidentally start to alienate Ethan by doing that. Just try to remember that she is a Ranger too and she agreed to it. Make sure that Ethan feels included. And whatever you do, don't follow my example on this one."

"He's terrible," Jason agreed. "Kim could whimper or break a nail and he was off like a shot to save her."

"Exaggerating, Jason, but pretty close," Tommy reluctantly admitted. "The second is that eventually we may find a way to release you from the gem. If one of you quits, it gets harder. Part of why Kim and I broke up was because of the change. She left, I didn't. Just try to make it work and if it doesn't, make sure you break up on good terms."

"So, you couldn't have explained this back at Reefside?" Conner asked, folding his arms.

"We thought you might like the trip," Jason answered, grinning. "Male bonding."

"Especially since you guys tend to like to do 'Older color, younger color' stuff and we enjoy doing it," Tommy added. "Now come on! We still have more ground to cover."

* * *

"So, like this?" Kira asked as she tried to do what Trini had just done.

"Not quite. Your hands aren't positioned correctly," Trini told her. "Like this."

Kira watched as Trini performed the move again slowly and tried to take in everything that she'd done. Kim was watching from nearby, resting on the sand while trying to make sure that none of the sand got on the paper they'd been writing on. Both Kira and Kim's guitars were in their cases next to the former pink Ranger. Kira tried again and looked at Trini. The large smile proved to Kira she'd done it right this time.

"Good job, Kira," Trini told her. Kira grinned.

"Yay! She got it! Food now," Kim said and Trini laughed.

"Am I going to have to start to call you 'Rocky', Kim? Besides, you could have started without us," Trini teased. Kim scowled.

"And feel like a pig? No thank you," Kim snorted as they joined her at the blanket. Kim had already set the food out so that they could grab what they wanted. Two seconds after they sat down, she began to grab various items. "So, Kira. We wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay," Kira answered. "What is it?"

"We noticed you and Conner kissing," Kim said bluntly, making herself a sandwich. "So, we figured we talked to you about the difference between Ranger dating and regular dating before it got too far and one of you ends up writing a note to break up that hurts the other and he ends up crying for two weeks."

"She's blunt today," Trini mentioned and Kira laughed. "Still, she's right."

"So, Conner is talking to Doctor O and Jason. What about Ethan? Just a 'hide our intentions' sort of a thing?" Kira asked and Trini shook her head.

"No. Any romantic involvements affect not only Conner and you, but Ethan as well. He may feel left out if you aren't careful, but he also needs to be able to set you or Conner straight if something goes wrong with the other. Aisha did it with Kim, but Tommy never bonded to anyone like he did Jason. Billy tried, but…"

"Never worked?" Kira offered and Trini nodded.

"Exactly. So, after a while, he became dependent on saving Kim just as Kim got dependent on him saving her. She was capable, but there was a certain need for him to be the White Knight," Trini explained. "Jason could have stopped it, but Billy wasn't sure how to address it. They were friends, good friends, but it wasn't the same."

"So, basically, I should listen to Ethan when he tells me I'm acting stupid," Kira said and shrugged. "Okay, fair enough. Ethan usually knows what he's talking about. But, Kim and Doctor O had two different people."

"There's only three of you," Kim answered. "So, the three of you are closer because of it. You're each others best friends. Jason was like my big brother, but I didn't want to talk to him about things like that. Aisha and Tommy were friends, but he wouldn't feel comfortable talking to her. The three of you are close and I don't think it would bother you as much to talk to each other."

"Okay," Kira answered. "Fair enough. Anything else?"

Trini looked at Kim who looked right back at her. Kim sighed. "Women are often the ones who keep the team together. Pinks are normally the heart and Yellows play the mediator. In a way, you're both."

"So, don't let the team go to pieces just 'cause Conner and I date? No problem," Kira answered. Both women grinned at her. Kim just nodded.

"I didn't think it would be a problem," Kim answered. "Food now, music next!"

* * *

"You're doing it wrong," Hayley mentioned as Billy worked. The former blue Ranger glanced up over the computer at her with a scowl.

"I most certainly am not," he answered. "I am merely improving your work."

"If improving means making things worse remind me not to improve anything," Hayley quipped, rolling her eyes. "Besides, who has been on Earth for a longer period of time? Oh right. Me."

"You are still incorrect," Billy answered. "I cannot help it if you are wrong."

"Guys?" Ethan called out as they argued. "Guys? Nevermind. I got it."

The youngest member quickly used the knowledge that he had and worked to make the computer function. With that, they were back in business. Billy glanced over and saw it working. He blinked a few times and glanced at Hayley who shrugged. "Ethan… what?"

"I fixed it," he answered. "What are we working on now?"

Both of the adults looked at each other and laughed, their anger gone. Billy shrugged. "That is all of the technology for Tommy. We could work on the merging of Trini and my work."

Hayley nodded. "Sounds like fun. You in, Ethan?"

"Yep. You might need me," he said arrogantly and paused. "Okay, seriously, why are we all arrogant about this stuff?"

Billy sighed. "I believe it has to do with the lack of true geniuses. Normally, we are apart from others so we're the most intelligent in a group. Unfortunately, it tends to make us more egotistical due to our abilities later."

"Got it," Ethan answered. "So, you mentioned earlier you wanted to talk to me about something? It's probably a good place to take a break for it, right?"

Hayley watched as Billy tried to figure out exactly how to do this and rolled her eyes. "Conner and Kira. They're together. We need you to make sure that they don't screw up."

Ethan paused and then nodded. "Make sure they don't act like a younger version of our mentors? No problem. That it?"

Billy nodded, though tentatively, and Hayley smiled. "That's it!"

"Cool. Let's get to work on the new stuff," he said, picking up some of what Billy had set down for them to look at. Hayley glanced over at Billy.

"You still with us?" She asked and he snapped himself out of it, glaring at the woman.

"Affirmative."

* * *

Before too long, they had all joined up at the beach to finish off the day and just relax. Hayley and Billy were both still working on something or another, though Ethan had long abandoned them. Trini and Jason were both relaxing next to each other in the sand. Billy had managed to find a way to cloak Tommy so that he was invisible for the moment by using the crystal so that he was unseen as he splashed in the water along with Kim and two of his students. With the racket and splashing, no one really would notice that some of the water seemed to stop in the air or come up out of the water on its own.

Kim laughed as the two worked together to knock down their invisible teacher who dragged them down with him. Kira squealed as Ethan knocked her down next and headed after Kim who was splashing at the teen to keep him away from her. Conner was sitting on the beach, just laughing and watching as the others messed around.

"You're going to miss out on all of it," Jason warned him and Conner shrugged.

"I just think I'll watch from here," he answered, trying to put as much bravado as he could into the statement. "You know, make sure that nothing goes wrong."

"It's alright to be afraid, Conner," Trini told him softly. "We all get a little scared sometimes."

Conner just kept watching. "I'm not scared."

Trini sighed and went back to watching as well knowing she wasn't going to be able to convince him right now. Jason's eyes flickered away from the trio when he caught sight of something in his peripheral vision. He stood up and Trini quickly followed her husband's example. Conner got to his feet just as quickly as the rest of the people enjoying the day ran off in various directions as blind terror took over. The others were on guard by this point as well, which was helpful considering that Zeltrax and Elsa made their appearance shortly afterward.

Jason and Trini stood ready together, while Conner had morphed and stood in front. Kim, Tommy, and the two other Rangers came barreling out of the water to help while Billy stood up in front of Hayley, ready to go if the two got past the others. The female genius eagerly let him do it without complaint since she didn't have any experience and living tended to be more important than her ego. The Tyrannodrones followed their commanders in and soon there was only a huge, fighting mess.

Kira looked up at Ethan. "Hey! You seen Trent? I would have guessed he'd be around here somewhere!"

"Nope!" Ethan said. "Conner, you see Trent?"

"No… wait! Yeah. Can you guys hold these guys off?" The red Ranger requested, seeing the white Ranger talking further off to what he was guessing was a child. He pushed away from the drones.

"Yeah," Ethan answered, but Conner was already gone.

* * *

Dante kicked the sand, his little arms folded. This was the third time in a row that Mommy had forgotten him during a monster attack. Other mommies grabbed their kids, but not his. She ran the other way before he even knew something was wrong. He looked off to make sure that the monsters were far away from him and threw himself down in the sand. His teacher had told him that if he got lost he should stay in one place so that someone could find him and the five-year-old tended to listen to his teacher.

"Hey you. You lost?" Dante looked up to see a white helmet glancing down at him. Dante looked at it for a minute before standing up. The white helmet cocked to the side. "You okay?"

"You're a Power Ranger," Dante informed him. The white Ranger took a few steps back before nodding.

"That's right. I am," he answered. "Where's your Mommy?"

Dante thought for a moment. He wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but Power Rangers were good. They helped people and made sure they didn't get hurt. Miss Rice said that you should look for a police officer when you were lost, but he didn't see any around and Power Rangers were like police officers because they stopped bad guys. Making the decision, he looked up again. "I'm not sure. Can you help me find her?"

"Sure," the white Ranger said and took the boy's hand. They didn't get too far before a red color obstructed his view. He glanced up and saw the red Ranger, arms crossed, looking at the white Ranger. The white Ranger stayed calm. "Hello, red Ranger."

"White Ranger," the other said, less than pleased. Unlike the white Ranger, the red one had a younger voice though it was definitely not happy. Dante looked a little confused at that. Was he mad that the white Ranger was helping him? "What are you doing?"

"Helping me find my mommy!" Dante supplied helpfully.

"Just being a good citizen," the white Ranger added. The red one looked down at Dante. He didn't say anything at first, but Dante had the feeling that he wasn't happy about something.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but can you go stand over there. By the tree? It's a little dangerous to find your mom right now," the red Ranger asked. He wasn't begging, but Dante recognized different tones and his sounded worried. The white Ranger firmly kept hold of Dante who was starting to get nervous as the Ranger wasn't acting quite right. Why would the Rangers be fighting and what was wrong with waiting? He often waited. The red Ranger looked back up at the white one. "Let him go."

"You don't want me to do that," the white Ranger answered and Dante heard the menace start to creep in at this point. He struggled against the grip, but the white Ranger didn't let go.

"Now!" The red Ranger demanded. The white one shrugged.

"If you insist," he chuckled. Dante screamed as he was thrown into the water. He kicked and splashed, but his legs couldn't touch the bottom. Then he went under.

* * *

Conner yelled along with the child as Trent had picked the child up and literally thrown him in the water which had 'let him go'. He glanced back at the white Ranger who was laughing. "I told you. You didn't want me to do that."

Conner wasn't listening to Trent at this point. He raced to the edge of the water and stopped, backing up a bit. He didn't know how to swim, he was afraid of the water, and he wasn't sure if he could physically save the kid. It was only for a moment before he knew he had to try. He took a breath and walked in through the water, hoping that the kid wasn't too far out. That's when the boy had gone under. Conner hurried as fast as he could through the water and held his breath when he had to look under for the child, yet no water came in due to the helmet

He was guessing that he had one more gulp of air before he was out since no more oxygen was able to get in. Not that it mattered since the water wasn't too deep for him. He looked around and found the kid, grabbing him and standing back up. He made his way to the shore against the water, holding the child firmly so he didn't drop him. He listened and heard the kid cough a bit, which calmed Conner down. That meant that he could breathe at the very least. He set the kid down and looked in Trent's direction. "You!"

"We've been through this… twice now? Who always wins?" Trent asked lazily and Conner shrugged.

"Don't care. You son of a… seabiscuit," Conner said, changing the final word quickly since the kid was nearby. "A kid?!"

"Well, you were supposed to drown, but I didn't throw him far enough. Should I try again?" Trent asked calmly. He headed toward the kid, but Conner quickly got in the way. "Well, then."

Trent pushed at Conner and they both fell past the kid and into the water. Conner kicked Trent away and tried to get back to shore, but the white Ranger would have none of it. Trent grabbed his leg and dragged him deeper into the water where Conner couldn't touch the bottom any more. He panicked.

Trent kicked away from him at that point and headed back to shore to deal with the little brat, but the kid was missing. He glanced back to see Conner struggling and shrugged. He'd gotten rid of the red Ranger. He headed off leaving the rest of the fight in Zeltrax's hands.

* * *

Dante watched in terror as the white Ranger dragged the red one with him. He wasn't sure why the red Ranger couldn't swim at first, but on _The_ _Land Before Time_ cartoon that he really liked, they'd gotten rid of the Tyrannosaurus by drowning him because he couldn't swim. The red Ranger had a Tyrannosaurus Rex, so maybe that's why he couldn't swim either. Dante raced over to where the others where and looked between them. There were lots of adults, but most of them were busy and the other Rangers were really busy. He looked over and saw a lady standing away from it, but still watching. He raced over to her and pulled on her shirt. "Excuse me!"

The woman looked down at him and looked shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"My mommy left me. The red Ranger is drowning," he informed her. The woman's eyes raced over to where the red Ranger was losing the battle of staying afloat and she gasped.

"Oh god," she whispered. She raced off, leaving Dante behind, though he followed her to the edge, and she leapt into the water, dragging Conner back. The red Ranger did his best not to fight against her and after he calmed down a bit, he looked nearly like dead weight. She dragged him to the beach and laid him down. "Red Ranger? Are you alright?"

"H-Hayley?" He asked, coughing a bit and quickly sat up before falling back over. "The kid!"

The woman, Hayley, looked over at Dante before looking back at the red Ranger. "He's fine. He came and got me."

Dante's eyes opened wide at Hayley. "You know the red Ranger?"

Hayley looked panicked for just a second. He knew what panicked looked like because his mommy usually looked panicked when things like this happened and she went running the other way. The red Ranger put his hand on Hayley's shoulder. "I've saved her before."

She nodded in agreement but Dante frowned. If he'd saved her before, then why did she look so worried? He shrugged it off. "'Kay."

The red Ranger looked at Hayley. "Can you…?"

"I got him. Go." The red Ranger quickly obeyed.

* * *

Hayley managed to keep the child's mind off of the fight while they finished it up. The former Rangers had wisely stayed away from Hayley and split off it hide themselves as well so that the kid didn't recognize any of them. It was bad enough he recognized Hayley, but at least she was surrounded by people due to the café. "So, what's your name?"

"Dante Perron," the child answered. "And my phone number is 555-4332. Mommy won't be there yet."

"Does this happen often?" Hayley asked incredulously and Dante shrugged.

"She gets scared. Lots of people get scared," he answered, looking at the fight. "I thought the robot dinosaurs would be bigger."

Hayley glanced over, trying to keep up with the child's subject change. "They're huge."

"Yeah, but I still thought they'd be bigger. Who's winning? The good guys or the bad guys?"

"The good guys. See?" Hayley answered, pointing it out. "You can still make out part of the dinosaurs."

"Oh."

"Aren't you happy about that?" Hayley asked and the boy nodded.

"Yeah. I just wish they'd stay dinosaurs longer. Do you think that the red Ranger would let me play in the big Tyrannosaurus?" Dante asked hopefully.

_Yes. He'd think it was great. _"No."

"Why not?" Dante asked.

"Because it's dangerous. Look, the fight's over," Hayley answered. "So, how about we try to find your mom?"

"Okay," Dante said. Hayley had to hand it to the kid. He was definitely easygoing. She was relieved when she found his mother and handed the kid off promising to let the red Ranger know that he said thank you. She shook her head and reminded herself to keep an eye on the child from now on.

The others were picking up everything when she got back. Conner raced over to her, no longer powered up. He glanced around to see that the kid wasn't with her. "Hayley! Where's the kid?"

"Your littlest fan? Back with his mother," Hayley answered. "He thinks the Zords should have been bigger."

"I agree," Conner said happily and looked a little disappointed. "I didn't really get to thank him for helping me out."

"Conner, I think he knew," Hayley said calmly. "Besides, you saved him."

"Yeah. But that's my job," he reminded her. Hayley shook her head and walked away back toward the others. Kira and Ethan came over and stood beside him.

"You saved a kid," Kira told him and he nodded.

"You got in water too," Ethan added. He nodded again. "We're proud of you."

"Thanks, guys," he said sincerely as they headed off. "Hey Doctor O? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Tommy hung back and looked at him. Conner looked a little uncomfortable, but he managed to look at his mentor. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

Tommy looked a little surprised at that. "For what?"

"Getting so angry. I think I know why you were so freaked out now," Conner answered. "It sucks when there's a problem and you can't solve it easily."

"Yeah. It's worse when you get there too late," Tommy agreed.

"That's what I was thinking about. You thought you did get there too late for Kim and me. Today, I was so freaked that kid was going to die. Trent knew what he was doing. He knew how to hurt me and that means he knows how to hurt all of us," Conner said solemnly. Tommy nodded.

"Being an adult doesn't mean you don't get scared. It means that you work past it which you did today. Twice. You're growing up, Conner."

"So are you, Doctor O."

"Conner!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **

I am so sorry this is so late. I was gone all weekend helping my friends out and spent the rest of this week burned to a crisp so I didn't feel much like moving or typing. My schedule is a little off now, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out. Probably by next week end, but possibly before that. Sorry, guys!

I wanted to address Conner's fear of swimming and water without him getting completely better from it. So, this was my answer to it. I tried to figure out a way to get him in there using characters I already had, but they all knew how to swim so I needed to create a character who couldn't. Dante popped into my mind after that.

I also wanted to address Tommy's attitude toward Conner since he seems to be hard on him. I wanted Conner to understand it, even if it was just a bit. I think I accomplished that.

The conversations between the elder Rangers and the younger worked to make sure that there wasn't another Kim/Tommy drama and I didn't want them ignoring Ethan either. So, the chapter served to make sure that it didn't go in those directions.

The problem with Derrick will be readdressed, by the way. It just didn't happen in this chapter.

Thank you again for all of your reviews during this story so far. I appreciate it so much.


	14. Unseen Complications

**Chapter 14: Unseen Complications**

"My house is back!" Kim squealed as she ran through the rooms of the newly built house, looking things over. It had taken a lot of time and money to rebuild and refurnish the house, but it was finally done. Billy was down below helping Hayley finish installing the Lair before he left as the last bit that needed to be finished. Conner watched her race around and looked at his teammates who shrugged. He glanced over at Tommy.

"Doctor O, your girlfriend is nuts," Conner informed him. Tommy shot him a looked and turned back to her.

"Kim, Beautiful, it's my…" he started, but the teenagers quickly shook their heads and made ceasing signs to quiet him. He paused and looked at them as Ethan leaned in so that Tommy could hear him.

"Do you really want to ruin this for her? She'll be mad," the teen whispered and Tommy's eyes widened, though he managed to have a happy, smiling look when he looked up at her. She'd paused to see what he had to say.

"I'm glad you're happy," he told her and she smiled, racing off. He sighed and the smile faded. "When did I lose control of my house?"

"My dad says when the woman moves in," Ethan supplied helpfully. Conner just nodded and Kira rolled her eyes. Before she could say anything, however, they heard arguing coming up the stairs and Ethan groaned. "They're at it again!"

Tommy looked in blue Ranger's direction curiously. "Again? What are they fighting over?"

"Whether or not Billy should leave when they're finished. Hayley says he needs to stay until they're sure it's completely fixed. Billy says that she can handle it and he should get home, especially since even Jason and Trini left. Hayley says that it's not easy for us to contact him, so he needs to wait," Ethan said and threw up his hands. "It's enough to make a person go jock."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Conner," Ethan said, honestly. Conner shrugged and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"That bad, huh?" He asked and Ethan just nodded. They turned their attention to the top of the stairs where the two older geniuses were entering.

"There is exponentially small chance that is will cease working, Hayley. You can fix if the need arrives," Billy insisted. "It is necessary that I return to Aquitar."

"Like hell! There is no reason why you need to!" Hayley argued. "They're an intelligent race. They can live without you for a while! Give me one good reason why you have to go back! One!"

"Hayley, I do not wish to argue about this. Again," Billy snapped and Tommy intervened.

"Guys! Hey! Look, I'm assuming Billy wants to get back to see Cestra, right?" He asked his friend, trying to help. Billy threw up his hands and walked out of the room. "Or not."

Hayley glared at him and stormed off back to the lab just as they heard the door slam as Billy left the house. Ethan looked at Tommy. "They've been like this for a while."

"What are we going to do about it?" Kira asked and Tommy sighed.

"Leave Billy alone for right now. I'll… I'll go talk to Hayley," he answered and headed down to the new lab. Ethan looked at the others.

"I'm voting we stay away from the Lair," he said.

"Oh yeah," Conner agreed.

"Definitely," added Kira. "So, how do you think you did on that science test?"

"Does 'Doctor O is going to kill me?' mean anything to you?" Conner asked and Kira laughed.

"Most people worry about their parents. You worry about your science teacher," she teased and Conner looked at her seriously.

"I respect my dad. I grew up with his rules and punishments. But Doctor O is a hell of a lot scarier."

* * *

"So, what are you pretending to work on?" Tommy asked, leaning against the new wall of the lair as Hayley typed quickly on the computer.

"I'm not 'pretending' to work on anything," she snapped. "I'm trying to find a way to get your sorry ass out of uniform."

"Careful," he teased. "You'll make Kim jealous."

Hayley slammed her hands down on the desk and whipped around to look at him. "You know, it's not wise to piss off the civilian who knows your secret and how your base works."

"Calm down, Hales," he said soothingly. "I think you scared the kids."

"Good. They'll won't ask stupid questions," she snapped and turned back to the computer. "Now, do you want to get out of the outfit or what?"

"I want you to calm down," he said. "Everything is going to be okay."

"Okay? Okay?! Tommy, look around! We just had to rebuild the lair, we almost lost Kim and Conner, you're stuck in your outfit, Trent is still evil, and I've had to be the sane one! I'm sick of being the rock! This wasn't my world! I didn't grow up in it! I didn't even grow up in Angel Grove!"

"So, what's really bothering you?" Tommy asked. "I know you better than that, Haley, and even if that is part of the problem, it isn't all of it."

"He is from your world! He did grow up in it! And it seems like all he cares about is running as far away from it as he can!" She yelled. He reached over and pulled her to him, knowing she was too proud to say what she was really thinking. He didn't say anything until the alarms went off. Both of them groaned.

Tommy let her go slowly and turned to the computer, looking at it and to what the problem was over. "What is that?"

"Goop," Hayley answered with a shrug. "Or slime."

"Very scientific, Hayley," he teased. "Let me guess. Tommy, fetch?"

"You've got it, Ranger Boy," she answered, picking up a tube. "I was going to use this for something else, but I don't think I have a spare. Try not to lose it."

"Your faith in me is amazing," he joked, but he took it and ran out the door, leaving Hayley to watch the screen.

* * *

"You know, I would like to practice with the band before we play again on Friday. How come I had to come with anyway?" Kira grumbled as she kept up with Tommy. He glanced in her direction and sighed.

"Because, Kira, Hayley suggested, once I'd reached the door, that it might be a good idea for me to take you with me so that I don't forget the tube," Tommy answered. "And apparently you're the more trustworthy since Conner forgot the eggfinder, which was understandable, and Ethan tends to pay more attention to gadgets than a tube. She really wants the tube back."

"Lucky me," she muttered. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just find it so we can go."

Tommy let it go considering that she was following him and heading toward where the slime was. Besides, he could understand her frustration. Kira made a face and glanced over at her teacher who held up his hands. "I've got it, Kira. Your job is to make sure I don't break the tube or lose it on the way back."

"So, when did Hayley lose any and all confidence in you?" Kira asked, folding her arms.

"When my lovely former teammates decided to tell her horror stories of my youth," Tommy answered. "And no, you're not hearing them."

"Wasn't going to ask," Kira answered and Tommy paused what he was doing and looked over at her.

"You're not? Why?" Tommy demanded. Kira shrugged.

"Simple. See, none of the other Rangers have been able to get away from being Rangers. Even though they've moved on, they still show up if they're need like the Red Mission or rescuing Kim and Conner. It's a fact of life. Plus, Kim and you are my mentors which means that I'll probably end up being a mentor one day. Hopefully with both Conner and Ethan. The last thing I want is for you to do the Grandpa thing and let them know how I was in my 'glory' days. So, by not asking, it's like a silent contract that at least someone won't embarrass me later on and I'm counting on Ethan and Conner deciding to embarrass each other instead," she said. Tommy paused for a minute and then just laughed, patting his student on the shoulder.

"You've given this a lot of thought," he told her and she nodded.

"Well, Conner and Ethan weren't going to think about it," she answered and held up a hand. "And before you get started on me, Doctor O, I just don't catch on to science that fast."

"Actually, you do. You're one of my better students," he told her. She blinked a couple of times at that and shook her head.

"You must have some bad students," she answered.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean that you're not good. Especially since you haven't ditched my class unless you had to," he said and began to work again on the slime. "I'm assuming you're good at English too."

"How'd you know that?" Kira asked.

"The lyrics. Lyrics are like poetry and you have a skill for writing. It made sense," he said and put the top back on the tube. He checked it over to make nothing spilled on the side and handed it to Kira. "Here. Guard this."

Kira gave him a look, but grabbed it. "What is it?"

"Beats me. Hayley wanted it. I got it. Once we get back, my job is done," he said easily.

"Got it."

* * *

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Ethan demanded and Conner shrugged.

"Uh… see the other person's point of view?" He suggested and winced at the look the other gave him.

"This is not cool. I'm afraid I'm going to break something, like my leg."

"Well, try not to. Besides, I'm worried I'm going to break this thing."

"Well, don't. I want that back when you're done," Ethan snapped and Conner just nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. That's why I'm trying not to break it. If it were mine, I'd have chucked it at a wall already."

Both boys were at the school's field, looking at their current activities with a certain amount of frustration. Conner had Ethan's laptop in his lap and was currently trying to figure out exactly how to play the game Ethan had been raving about for weeks, yet kept dying on it every two minutes from something or another. Ethan, on the other hand, was trying to keep Conner's soccer ball from flying everywhere and actually get a handle on it. Never mind scoring. That would come later. Conner glanced up to ask Ethan for a little help, but immediately yelled out "Ethan! Down!" instead.

Ethan quickly obeyed, falling to the ground as they'd been taught just before a ball rushed over him, right where his head would have been. Conner, on the other hand, and managed to move and take the computer with him, making sure he didn't drop it in order to dodge the ball as well. Ethan got back on his feet and looked over at Conner who held the laptop up in victory. Ethan gave him a quick nod as Conner closed it and joined his friend to see what had happened.

"Not him again," Ethan groaned and Conner nodded, folding his arms.

"Looks who's with him," Conner muttered and Ethan glanced over.

"Are you kidding me?! One plays soccer and the other draws! What the hell?" Ethan asked and Conner sighed.

"An overwhelming hatred of, say, us?" Conner asked and gave his partner a small smile. "Hatred brings people closer together."

"Yeah," Ethan answered. "Now what?"

Conner looked up at Derrick and smiled politely. "We were pretty much done here anyway. You can have it."

Derrick started toward him, but Trent put a hand on the boy's arm. "They said it's ours," he reminded him and Derrick opened his mouth to say something else. "We're better. At least they know it."

"Don't see why I can't enforce it," Derrick muttered and Trent sighed.

"Because you'll get detention… again," he answered. "And why bother when they're running away?"

Trent looked directly at Conner who nearly forgot everything as he headed toward the white Ranger. Ethan joined him and Conner caught sight of the blue Ranger's advance which gave him a quick reality check. Right now, he might be willing to get himself into trouble, but he wasn't going to drag Ethan down with him. He grabbed Ethan's arm, gently enough, and dragged him away. Ethan grumbled, but followed, picking up Conner's ball as Conner picked up Ethan's laptop. Once they were far enough away, Conner looked at Ethan. "Okay, seriously, hatred or not that was weird."

"Mind control?" Ethan suggested and Conner shook his head.

"I don't think so. I'm not sure if it was a power," Conner answered. "It was like Trent was just pressing the right buttons. The 'let Derrick feel superior' buttons."

"Great. As if we didn't have enough troubles, now we can't even touch Trent," Ethan groaned. Conner looked confused for a moment before he caught on. With Trent being near Derrick, they couldn't take the white Ranger on without a lot of questions and possibly outing themselves. Conner sighed and then grinned.

"At least Kim was able to. Did you see the ear?" He asked and Ethan grinned.

"Oh yeah," Ethan answered. "Hey! Now we have something we can taunt him about during battle!"

"Seriously, Dude, too much time on your hands," Conner said, shaking his head.

"No, really. All of the greats do it. Even Doctor O does it," Ethan added. "And Jason. I've seen videos."

"Ethan, man, just say it. I don't think we have to plan it out," Conner told him. "Seriously though, if it's bothering you that much, just go home tonight and work on various things to say."

Ethan made a face at him, but both were laughing after a minute. "Come on, Conner. Kira's probably back by now."

"Yeah. But with the mood that she might be in, do we want to catch up with her?" Conner asked and Ethan paused.

"We'll pick her up some guitar picks on the way back," he decided. "She threw out the stuff Trent got it her. We come bearing presents and she won't turn her yellow wrath on us."

"Ethan, you're a genius! To the music store!"

* * *

"So, it's important goop?" Kira asked as Hayley finished checking it over. Tommy leaned against the wall while the yellow Ranger asked the question from the spare table. Like how she felt, her voice sounded bored as she was asked to stay in case Hayley needed help, but hadn't been told what was going on.

"Yes, Kira, it's important," Hayley answered. Tommy winced a bit at the terse tone, but Kira didn't seem affected by it at all. "I think there is a possibility that…"

"Hey Kira!" Hayley closed her eyes and began to count to ten as Conner raced down the stairs followed by Ethan who was closely behind. Conner was holding something behind his back and was grinning like a fool, though Ethan didn't look any better.

"Kira!" Ethan joined the called. Hayley decided to count to twenty instead. She figured it might work better. Kira glanced over, though by the time she did they were right in front of her looking proud of themselves.

"Hi Conner. Hi Ethan," she said tiredly. "What do you guys want?"

"We thought you might be tired," Conner said. "So, we brought you these."

He held up the picks and handed them to her. She quickly took them and looked them over before turning back to her companions. "Thanks, guys," she said a lot more calmly and with a slight smile. Both boys grinned at each other over her head and took their seats next to her.

"You were, uh, saying something, Hayley?" Conner asked. The genius woman sighed, but continued.

"As I was saying, I think there is a possibility that this 'goop' can allow Tommy to power down," she said and was cut off from anything else she was going to say by screaming and cheering. Tommy put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I think you got the important part across," he offered. She shook her head and sighed.

"Should we wait for Kim?" She asked and Tommy shook his head.

"Last I checked, she was calming Billy down," Tommy answered. "So, let's just do this and surprise her."

Hayley nodded and turned to the three teenagers. "Hey! I'm going to need you three to be quiet, okay?"

They nodded and waited patiently as Hayley began. She took the slime and delved into her work, making sure that she didn't accidentally hit something or move something that could eventually hurt Tommy. The others were pretty quiet, though all three teens seemed to be bouncing on their toes, eager to see their mentor again and also eager for him to take back his class. She pressed the button and stood back, watching.

The goop fell down on top of him, drenching him with it. He closed his eyes and felt the suit disappear. He felt the dino gem reach out in protest and even with his eyes closed, he 'saw' the light from it as it finished protesting. He glanced over, happy to see his skin again, but the look on the others' faces proved that the gem had done something.

"Where did he go?" Asked Conner in a panic. Kira and Ethan weren't doing much better as they all looked at Hayley. The genius looked in the general direction.

"Tommy?" She asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm right here, Hayley. What's going on?" He asked and she sighed.

"The goop seems to have caused your gem to react. You're invisible," she answered. Tommy nodded, forgetting that they couldn't see him. It made sense as to why he could see himself but no one else could.

"We'll, uh, get this figured out, Doctor O. No worries," Kira said helpfully, though her tone clearly showed that she wasn't feeling it.

"Figure out what?" A voice came from the stairwell. Kim and Billy descended down to where the rest of the group was. Kim looked at the teens for an answer to her question. The three glanced at each other and Conner took the leadership position to answer.

"Sorry, Kim. I've got soccer practice," Conner said quickly as he bolted out the door.

"Band practice," Kira added as she raced after.

"New game," finished Ethan as he was on the heels of the others.

Kim looked at Hayley who looked a little sheepish. "Well, we got the uniform off…"

* * *

"When is slime ever good?!" Kim demanded. "Seriously. If it's goop, slime, ooze, gunk, or goo, we shouldn't touch it!"

"It got me out of the uniform," Tommy offered and Kim glared in his direction.

"And made you invisible!" She snapped.

"Well, we can have sex now," he tried. It didn't have the desired effect as she threw her hands up and walked out of the lab. Tommy looked in Billy's direction.

"You are looking in my direction," Billy informed him with the knowledge that only comes with years of knowing someone. "You probably should not have mentioned sex."

"Gee, thank," Tommy said, rolling his eyes. "Anything else?"

"No. I cannot contrive a more careful method of how the situation was handled. Hayley tested it and there was no reasonable test the hypothesis without involving you which would have had the same effect. It would be best if you let her calm down."

Tommy nodded and sighed. "Still, I've been cramped in rooms for too long. I'm going out."

Billy nodded and looked at his watch. "I would give her at least an hour. Then surprise her with flora and perhaps something sweet?"

"Probably a good plan. Maybe I can convince one of the kids to actually do the buying part of it…" he muttered to himself as he headed out the door. Billy turned back to the slime and looked it over without touching it.

"How much was used?" He asked.

"Enough to cover him," Hayley answered. "Do you think the amount was the problem?"

"I believe there was an agent involved with the slime that would be difficult to pick up due to other aspects," Billy answered.

"So, how come you know to look for it?" She asked a little bitterly.

"I have been dealing with extra-terrestrial items since my teenage years. Due to the work I put in with Alpha and Zordon, I was able to learn quite a bit more that someone without my history would miss," he answered. She nodded as they backed away from it. "We will not find the answer within this. Whatever the agent was, I doubt the gem will give it a better reaction if we attempt to use it again. Also, the gem could be reacting to both the rock and the slime."

"Right. So, we use it for study and see if we can't figure out a way to use it, perhaps we can find out what happened," she said. They were both quiet for a moment. "So, are you going to leave in the middle of this?"

Billy paused and glanced over at her. "I will stay until we have this figured out."

"Fair enough," she answered. Both were quiet once more.

* * *

"So, you switch places with the others to get a view of what they do? How is that going to work with three people?" Kira asked. Conner wrapped an arm around her shoulders while Ethan stood on his other side grinning. They headed back to the field which was empty again, fortunately, and therefore easy for them to continue their day with.

"We figured that out while we were, very much struggling, at the music store. Ethan and I debated it and he agreed to go first with continuing soccer, while I try music and you try his computer. Then, we'll switch so that I'm working with the computer, he's doing music, and you're trying soccer. That way, everyone tries everything," Conner answered.

"You come up with the weirdest activities, Conner, but, sure. Why not?" Kira said and looked at Ethan. "Why did he come up with this?"

Ethan snickered. "To help us understand each other. Besides, we both agreed to let him come up with a training exercise each month."

"Yeah, yeah," Kira answered, though she was smiling. "You're the one who said it would help with his self-confidence in being a leader."

"I didn't think he'd make me play soccer," Ethan answered. Conner folded his arms and looked at the two of them causing them to snicker even further. "Conner, don't do that! You're starting to look like Doctor O."

Conner just laughed and dropped the pose as he gently took the guitar from Kira, who showed him how to hold it and what to do so that he didn't break it. The time after that resulted in horridly off-key music, cursing, threats to break various objects, short arguments, and switching activities only to have it start all over again.

Kira practiced kicking the ball the way Conner had shown her how, though that was all he'd shown her. Each of them were trying to muddle through the activities without help. All Kira knew was that she was supposed to kick it with the inside of her foot and not to touch it with her hands. She kept her eye on the ball, trying not to let it get too far ahead of her when the ball stopped. A little surprised, she glanced up into the face of Derrick who was smirking. "Conner, I think it's for you!"

Conner glanced over and groaned, looking at Ethan who gently set the guitar to the side and they headed over to Kira. Conner swiped his ball back with his foot. "What do you want, Derrick?"

Ethan glared at Trent instead who smirked back. Just as Ethan knew, they couldn't touch him with this many witnesses around and Trent knew it. He'd planned it that way. Kira took to looking between her two boys, ready to stop them if they needed it. Derrick looked at Conner. "I want my field."

Conner snorted and shook his head. "We're using it."

"Then unuse it."

Conner smiled. "Okay, Derrick, tell you what. We'll play a game of scrimmage. First to ten. The three of us versus you and two others. If we win, you have to agree to knock this alpha male bullshit off and leave us alone since you've grouped me in the 'freaks and geeks' group. If you win, we'll give you the field anytime you want it from now until the end of the month. Besides, you'll get to tell everyone that you beat Conner McKnight. Deal?"

"Deal," Derrick agreed, picking out two of his friends and the others, including Trent, moved to the side. Derrick smiled a Conner, one of those smiles that caused you to feel like you just walked into a cage with a hungry wolf inside. "I'm going to enjoy this field."

Conner smirked back. "Sure you will. Five minutes to plan?" He asked and Derrick nodded, walking away.

"Conner," Ethan said once Derrick had left. "Not that I want to doubt you, but did you randomly forget that Kira and I can't play?"

"Sure you can," Conner said happily. "We'll just use your talents. Ethan, you're going to be the goalie. You can use your hands, so do it. I figure that you won't duck when the ball is coming because, you know, hard skin. Treat it like a video game. Every time you block the ball, you get 10 points. And don't worry, Derrick misses almost every time. Kira, you're with me. Don't touch it and use a rhythm, like tap, tap, kick. If you don't feel confident kicking a goal, pass it to me. We can do this, guys."

The other two felt less confident, but they took their places anyway. The ball was kicked out and the game began.

* * *

"That's it. I just need to learn how not to anger Kim. Maybe I should have her write a list," Tommy muttered to himself and he wandered around the city. As Billy had suggested, he had given her space and was currently on his way to convince one of the teens to buy gifts for him to give to her since he was invisible. He'd decided that they owed him that much for running out as quickly as possible when Kim had come in.

He headed toward the school where he was hoping they would be. He would have tried Hayley's but it wasn't open at the moment and they weren't in his house so he was running out of places to look for him. Fortunately, his instincts led him in the right direction as he watched Kira trying to keep up with Conner who was kicking his soccer ball toward the goal. Conner raced around the opposite team players, making sure he had a handle on it. He moved in to take the shot when he stopped and nearly fell backward. Kira caught up and kicked it for him, surprising the opposite goalie enough to miss it. She turned her attention to Conner who nodded and brushed it off as they headed back toward Ethan for a moment to talk before they started again.

He moved in closer to hear them, though he didn't want to distract them so he was keeping quiet. Ethan folded his arms as Kira just looked nervous. "That wasn't normal," Ethan said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Seriously. I just got a little dizzy and Kira saved it. Besides, if I back out now and Trent's watching, you know we'll end up dealing with something a lot worse," Conner argued. "I'll be okay. Let's just… finish the game."

Kira and Ethan looked at each other, but both only nodded and headed back out on the field. The game continued and Tommy watched his red Ranger carefully. He did seem to be having trouble with what seemed to be vertigo. He shook his head more than one and tripped a few more. Five minutes later, he was more getting Kira to get it done rather than him since he kept messing up. Unfortunately, the others noticed and used that to their advantage by ganging up on her.

Tommy finally tore his eyes away from the field to see how Trent was reacting, but he didn't see him at first. He felt his gem's power increase a bit and slowly, but surely, Trent began to appear. He was further away from the others, in chameleon mode, and completely concentrating on the game. The black Ranger crept up to him until Trent looked up from what he was doing and sneered. "Hello, Doctor Oliver."

"Hello, Trent," Tommy answered, not too surprised to see that Trent could see him as well. He glanced down at his gem and then Trent's to see that both were glowing.

"Oh, they're all connected," Trent said casually. Tommy nodded, keeping it as civil as Trent for now. He could move with his power. Trent couldn't. He had the advantage and he was curious as to what Trent was doing.

"Yours and mine especially. Makes sense. White and black," Tommy said. "Opposites, but with similar power. They're supposed to work together."

"Probably," Trent answered. "But, I don't feel like playing nice and you don't feel like being smart. So I guess we're that's not going to happen."

Tommy nodded. As always, he kept one eye on his enemy and the other on his 'kids'. Something he'd learned as a leader so many years before was to be able to have your attention split and not dampened by doing so. He wasn't surprised to see that Conner wasn't tripping around anymore since he started the chat with Trent. "So, what were you doing to Conner?"

"Finally bringing up the reason you're here, hmm? About time, Doctor," Trent said and shrugged. "Same thing you just did."

"Meaning?" Tommy asked and Trent held up his gem which glowed brightly. He kept one eye on Doctor Oliver and the other on Conner, similar to Tommy's own way of handling things. The only difference was that Tommy did it as a leader and Trent did because he constantly had to watch his back. As the gem glowed, Conner shook his head and seemed dizzy again. Trent stopped and looked back at Doctor Oliver.

"That is what I meant," he answered. "White and Black have similar powers that could be used to work together, or not. But… well, the gems work more artistically I've found. You'd be surprised what you can do when you use your natural talents. You used science, I used art. Guess who was right?"

"Right about what, Trent?" Tommy asked and Trent sighed before grinning.

"About the gems. Of course you're able to work with all of the others. You aid in their abilities. You're black, all of the colors mixed into one. They're primary colors, you're the result of all of them mixed," Trent answered. "But you wouldn't have looked at it that way, would you? Because in science…"

"White is all colors and black is the absence," Tommy answered. "Why are you telling me this?"

Trent was already sitting down, so he crossed his legs. He waited a minute and then motioned for Tommy to join him. The black Ranger sat far enough away, but he still did it. "When I was at the lab, I looked up the former Rangers. It was interesting reading, actually, but I was mostly interested in the former evil Rangers. What made them tick?"

"Because you're evil," Tommy said and Trent nodded.

"The best way to learn about one's self is to study the history of those like him. Now, we all reacted in a similar way. Sure, we were willing to wipe out an entire team, but often, we have a specific person in mind," Trent continued. "You had Jason. Kat had Kimberly. Kimberly and Jason turned the tables on your both later on when they were evil. You're not mine, Doctor Oliver. You never were. If I kill you and Kira and Ethan, it's just a bonus. Don't you get it? I'm not controlled by Mesagog like you were by Rita. I still have my own mind and ideas."

"Okay," Tommy said patiently.

"And I'd get bored if I beat him too easily. But you know how it is when you get close to that person you want dead. You don't want to spend time around them. You want to drive a sword into their stomach and watch them tremble as they die. So, I figured that I'd tell you. So you can prepare him."

"For?" Tommy asked. Trent's grin increased.

"Our final battle."

* * *

While he didn't want to admit he was ever hurting to begin with, Conner was definitely feeling better. Kira and he had finally gotten a rhythm down which he saw her mouthing. Besides for just kicking the ball, she'd also gotten down passing and kicking it toward the goal. It wasn't much, but it was keeping them in the game even when Conner was out of it. Now that he wasn't being affected as much, he was able to concentrate on getting as much done as possible. They only needed three more goals to win.

He did believe that it would have been easier to do if the three they were playing against weren't his teammates who knew his moves. The only thing he had going for him was being naturally better at the sport as well as the Ranger training Kim had told him about when he'd wanted to quit. She was right. He was better and he was a better team player. He passed the ball to Kira who managed not to trip over it and moved it toward the goal. She glanced back at him and seeing that he wasn't having another problem, waited for a moment until the two opposite players ran for her and passed it back to him. He scored. "Two more, Derrick."

Derrick didn't respond so much as he took his mark and motioned for the others to as well. He hated to admit it, but the freak and geek weren't doing too badly. One was managing to block quite a few goals and the other had managed to score a couple. Conner glanced over and read Derrick's face and nearly laughed. Kira and Ethan were doing great for complete beginners, but it helped that Derrick was horrid at the game. There was a reason why the coach constantly put him on full-back. He couldn't kick straight.

He glanced over at Ethan, who nodded back to him. The blue Ranger was definitely treating it like a video game and mixed in with the training he'd had, he was making for a pretty good goalie. His hand and eye coordination was probably better than Conner's. Kira also looked ready as they went in for their final two goals. They needed to get the ball back, twice, and score. Derrick's team wasn't that far behind. They only needed four more goals.

Conner felt a little dizzy again and cursed under his breath. He forced himself to get it under control and fortunately, it simply stopped. He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to himself as they headed out for the final two goals. He rushed at Derrick who passed it to one of the other two, Kevin. Kevin kicked it down the field, keeping off Kira to make it to Ethan who was still standing ready. He got ready and looked at Ethan who was waiting. The blue Ranger gave a snort as he had done when he first got his powers. Kevin didn't know what it was, but something freaked him out about the look the goalie gave him and he missed the shot. Not caring, he raced over to Derrick who looked confused and shook it off. Derrick made sure to help Kevin calm down a bit so he'd be able to make the shot the next time. Conner looked at Ethan once the other two got over to him.

"What the hell happened?" Conner asked him. "What did you do? Kevin looks like he saw a ghost!"

Ethan shrugged. "I dunno. I was ready and then he stopped. I was like I am when we're ready for a battle. I mean, this is just another kind of battle, right?"

Conner and Kira shared a look and Conner grinned. "You psyched him out."

"Using powers," Kira hissed and Conner shook his head.

"Not technically because it didn't show anything. It's like when you glare at us. It's like being glared at by a pterodactyl, but if we didn't know…" Conner suggested and Kira caught on.

"Then you'd only know it was freaky. That's a relief," she said and looked at Ethan. "This secret thing is harder than it looks, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Ethan agreed. "Well, it looks like they're ready to play again. You guys ready to kick some ass?"

Kira grinned and got the very look in her eye that they'd brought up just a moment before. Their confidence had increased throughout the game and they finally felt as if Conner hadn't made a bad call. They could do this. "Oh yeah."

* * *

"So, this is about making sure you don't get bored trying to kill someone who matters to me," Tommy said in disgust. "And you thought I would handle this well?"

"I really don't care how you handle it. I gave you the information and I will use it. You might want to help him or he won't be able to move, let alone fight," Trent said as he stood up, ready to head back to the crowd. "Damn. It seems using Derrick to torture them is out. I'll have to find something else."

"Well you do seem to get easily distracted," Tommy told him, sounding causal again. Trent looked at him as Tommy reach up and touched his own ear. Trent's hand immediately covered his own and his expression finally changed from indifference to hatred.

"Notice how your girlfriend wasn't on my 'bonus' list. Think about it," Trent snapped and Tommy grinned, finally having the upper hand.

"She'll kick your ass every time, Trent. She always does," he said. They looked at each other for a moment and the gems glowed. "Thanks for the talk. Conner needed the distraction."

With that, the paleontology teacher stood to the side to think. He knew that whatever Trent had done probably wouldn't work in Ranger form, but he wasn't sure exactly how it worked. He needed to talk to Billy and Hayley.

* * *

"We won, guys. We're supposed to be celebrating," Conner complained as Derrick and his friends had backed off. Conner was glad that the bully kept his promises. He wouldn't be surprised if Trent and Derrick parted ways as well which was another victory for them. Yet, his companions didn't seem cheerful at all and they kept looking at him.

"How many times did you nearly fall over, Conner?" Kira asked. "You got dizzy and everything. What if something is seriously wrong?"

"Kira's right. It's great we won but… wait. Weren't all of them on the soccer team?" Ethan asked and Conner nodded.

"Yep," he answered.

"Conner, how _did_ we win?" He asked and Conner grinned.

"I had to come up with some sort of plan. It worked. Who knew?" He answered cheerfully. Kira and Ethan looked at each other and she smacked the red Ranger's arm.

"You set us up!" She exclaimed.

"So that's why you had us doing each other's activities. So that we would have played soccer," Ethan said and Conner shook his head.

"Well, yes and no," he decided. "Yes, so that you guys would have at least kicked a ball, but so that I could understand you guys too."

"Not bad," Ethan said, grinning and clapped his shoulder. "But you're still going to have to tell Doctor O."

"He already knows," Tommy said from behind them. All three jumped into the air and tried to figure out exactly where he was. "And Conner will be fine for now. I'll explain a little later. I just need you to trust me… and do me a slight favor considering that all of you ran out of the room earlier…"

"Self-defense?" Conner suggested.

"Conner," his mentor gently chided, but left it at that. "I need you to buy me some flowers and chocolates for Kim. Kira, you know the type to get. Conner, you should know the chocolates to get. Please?"

"You got it, Doctor O," Conner said and held out his hand. Tommy reached into his pocket pulled out his wallet, which did appear and quickly handed the money over when they were sure no one was looking. "See you at the lab!"

* * *

"While I like the 'save Conner' plan and I'm sure everyone will agree with me and while I like the idea of you not being invisible any more, I am against this plan," Hayley snapped. Billy nodded once.

"I must concur. Hayley is correct to be worried." Tommy winced at Billy's assessment. Hayley's warns he could push past with a gentle reminder of her lack of experience, but Billy didn't have that. Billy had just as much if not more experience on and off the field.

"Maybe, but we all know Trent is dangerous. The only reason he made sure I knew any of this was for his own enjoyment," Tommy said. "It's been pulsing all day. It's the reason I'm invisible. You both said so. So, it's got to be the answer to making me not invisible. And if we figure it out, then maybe we can block Trent from Conner's. I don't know how yet, but I do know this is the first step. It's what we need to do."

"While I am against it, I understand your reasoning. Can we please inform Kim this time?" Billy suggested and Tommy nodded.

"We're waiting for everyone this time. And guys? Don't tell anyone what I told you about Conner. Just in case," he answered. "I'll be upstairs. I need a shower."

They both nodded as he headed upstairs and Hayley threw her hands up. "He doesn't listen!"

"He is Tommy," Billy answered. "He does what he thinks is right."

"And you all let him?" Hayley asked. Billy shrugged.

"Sometimes, he _is_ right."

* * *

"We have flowers!" Conner said as he walked in the lab followed by Ethan and Kira.

"And chocolate!" Ethan added. "Which we didn't eat."

"Only because I smacked your guys' hands a million times," Kira grumbled, though even she was smiling. The chocolates were taken by the air from her and the flowers from Conner.

"Thanks, Guys," Tommy said. "Change?"

Conner snapped his fingers in disappointment, but handed it over anyway. "So, where is she?"

"Well, after we guessed you guys were on your way back, Billy called her so she should be here soon," Tommy answered. Right as he finished, Kim headed down the stairs to be mobbed by flowers and chocolates. "I'm sorry."

"I know," she sighed. "I just wish you'd tell me first."

"Here. I'm doing it this time. I think there is a way to reverse this. It's risky, but it's important to me," he said and took her hands. "I want to do this."

"Why? We can figure out an easier, safer way," Kim pleaded but Tommy sighed.

"Kim… I can't morph. What if they need my help? Please?" He asked and she sighed.

"Alright, fine," she said. "But only if everyone agrees to it. Stupid idea or not."

Ethan, Conner, and Kira looked at each other and nodded. Conner gave the official nod. "Good luck, Doctor O."

Tommy looked over at Billy and Hayley. "You guys ready?"

Billy nodded while Hayley looked worried. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah, Hales," he answered. "I'm sure."

They laid him down and prepared him, making the others stay back. They moved the gem to the container and looked at each other. Nodding, they finished their task and the machine began to work. Unfortunately, Tommy's breathing increased and he began to convulse.

"Hayley, neutralize the machine," Billy commanded and he made sure that Tommy wasn't starting to choke on his own tongue. They worked quickly, but Hayley heard the shatter.

"The gem," she whispered. "It's broken."

Tommy reappeared in front of them, but he wasn't moving. "Tommy, can you hear me? Tommy?" He reached and fortunately felt a pulse, but his friend didn't respond at all.

Hayley joined him. "Tommy?" She asked and glanced up at Kim who looked as horrified as she felt. Hayley felt a hand on her arm and she looked into Billy's calm, collected face. He only said two words.

"Call Jason."

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, it's out. I had so much trouble getting this written. The next chapter is easier, but this one wasn't. This was essentially a set-up chapter, so I had to make sure that it was written in a way that would set it up for the next few chapters while also making sure that it's a chapter of its own. Still, I already am enjoying writing the next chapter more.

I decided to add another layer onto the gems. I did some minor research on science colors because I am more of an artist and the primary colors for artists are: blue, yellow, and red. For science, it's blue, red, and green, so they're not the same as the Dino Thunder Rangers. Plus, it made more sense if Trent knew about it when it had to do with art than if it was with science since Tommy is a Paleontologist and a science teacher.

The Dino Thunder Rangers will probably not be in it very much for the next chapter just because there is little for them to do in it. Just giving you a heads up.

Thank you for the reviews. As always, I appreciate them so much.


	15. Mind's Journey

**Chapter 15: Mind's Journey**

Billy rubbed his eyes from having been staring at the results on the screen for the past few hours. While he wasn't any closer, part of him felt that staring at it was helping in some way, even if it was just to keep everyone else calm. He glanced over at Hayley to see that she wasn't doing much better though, like him, she seemed determined to try and wasn't taking her eyes off the screen. He couldn't blame her since like him, part of her felt like this was her fault for letting him. Even Billy's words "Sometimes, he is right" didn't help as Tommy hadn't had a good idea this time. Jason and Trini had both shown up a while before and were sitting near the others around Tommy's bed, just waiting. None of them really knew what to do in this situation and other than glancing at Billy, their eyes tended to be on their fallen companion. The raptors had been sent out of the Lair to ensure that they didn't accidentally hit the bed while they were wrestling around though they had been oddly calm as if they understood the seriousness of the situation.

Kim was holding Tommy's hand and trying to keep from crying with all three of the Dino Thunder Rangers surrounding her. Kira on her right, Ethan on her left, and Conner right behind her with his hands on her shoulders. All of them looked almost defeated by the entire mess. Kira wasn't much better than her female mentor and would go from being quiet to crying and back to being quiet again. Conner and Ethan were just as pessimistic, but would reach over and just lay a hand on their female companion's hands every once in a while. Neither had said a word. Trini and Jason had been trying to keep them optimistic on the other side of the bed, but they weren't in much of an optimistic mood either and no one answered when they tried to get them talking.

Billy tried not to sigh as the results once again didn't change. He was running out of ideas using conventional ideas and, while he wasn't sure how well it would turn out, he was just about ready to move on to something different. He walked over and they all looked up at him. No one talked for a moment until Jason looked Billy straight in the eye. "Tell us."

"None of the medicine and treatments we have been trying has worked," he explained, trying to sound calm.

"You have a plan, though, right?" Kim pleaded. All of her hope was in the former blue Ranger. Billy looked at her and sighed. It was now or never.

"Yes, but it's not the best plan," he said. "And I don't know if it will work."

"What is it? What's your plan?" Kim asked him.

"We're going to help him," he answered. "Just not from out here."

"In his mind?" Kim asked and Billy nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. Trini, Jason, you and me. We need Zack to take over if… if something goes wrong," he told them. "One, two or even three of us cannot do this alone. We all have to agree to do this."

"I'm in," Kim said quickly and looked at Jason.

"Of course," Jason agreed, glancing at Trini.

"You know we will," she answered, taking Jason's hand. "What do we have to do?"

"Jason stand on right, Kim on the left, near his head and heart. Trini, on his right, and I'll take the left at his legs. Here," he told them handing each of them a disk. "Place it on your temple. Either one. Kira, Conner, Ethan, Hayley… while we are doing this, we're defenseless. We'll be dependent on all of you to protect us from everything. If something goes wrong, call Zack. Do you understand?"

They nodded and Kim gave them a smile. "We'll be back soon."

Billy placed two of the squares on Tommy's head and looked at the others. "I don't know what will happen next. Let your spirit animal guide you."

"But we don't know ours," Jason said and Billy shrugged.

"You will. You'll meet it," he answered. "Take my hands. Take each others hands."

Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Hayley watched as they obeyed. There was a flash of various colors of light and a falcon's cry which led to the four former Ranger's throwing their heads back as if they'd been electrocuted and slumping over onto Tommy. Hayley checked them over, relieved they were breathing.

"Hayley?" She glanced over at them, surprised that they were talking. Conner was the one looking at her, his arms around the other two. "Should we call Zack anyway?"

Hayley paused and looked at them. She didn't know how this worked and Billy hadn't had time to explain it to her. Besides, he'd never forgive them. "We'll wait an hour," she decided. "If they're not up by then, we'll do it."

Conner just nodded and they all fell quiet once more. Now all they could do was the arduous task of waiting.

* * *

Jason groaned as he tried to stand up, but he felt sore. He tried again, but like the first time, he fell back to his knees. After a minute, he was able to sit up and look around. He recognized it quickly enough: The Command Center in its full glory only without Alpha running around or Zordon in his tube. The lights were on and ready and even with the severity of the situation, Jason couldn't help but to smile. "And they say you can't go home."

"You do," a voice called out from behind him. Jason, painfully, managed to scramble to his feet and turned to look at the speaker. "This is where you always end up, Jason."

The man speaking was older, bald, and wearing long robes. One of his hands was at his side and he stood in a non threatening manner. Beside him stood a proud, red bull who waited patiently, not moving or making any sort of noise. The man had the other hand on the creature's back which didn't seem to bother the bull in the slightest. Jason blinked a couple of times. "Zordon?"

"Hello, Jason," his old mentor said gently.

"How… why…?" Jason asked.

"Your journey is first," Zordon said. "While you will be there to help the others, I thought that you could use my guidance… one last time."

"Are you real?" Jason asked. Zordon gave him a patient look.

"Does it matter?" He asked. Jason opened his mouth, but thought about it. It didn't really matter whether or not it was his mentor or his mind using the figure to help him. What mattered was that image or reality, the words would be the same.

"So, what do I do?" Jason asked. Zordon patted the bull who took a few steps forward.

"Follow him. You know he'll lead you the right way. Don't distrust him and wander away from him. Learn. When your journey is over, you will understand and be able to help the others with theirs," Zordon instructed. Jason nodded.

"Will I see you then? When we're all finished?" He asked eagerly, but his hope died as Zordon shook his head.

"No, Jason. This is the last time you will see me," he told him. At the younger man's disappointment, Zordon smiled a bit. "You'll understand when it's over."

Jason nodded. "Alright," he agreed, feeling like he had when he first became the red Ranger to begin with. "You've always been right before."

Zordon nodded. "Jason, be careful. May the Power protect you."

Jason, for the first time, answered to the well-wished. "And you."

With that, he turned turned to the bull, letting it lead him out of the ruins. He glanced back to say his farewells to his old mentor, but he was already gone. A little disappointed, but understanding why, he continued out of the building. The bull moved at a good pace so that Jason didn't have to run to keep up, but he did have to move quicker than a lumber. Jason followed beside it, neither of them talking. He couldn't help but to wonder about that. Was it quiet because he was normally quiet or was it because it was a bull? Was it the same thing since after all he and it were sort of the same?

None of his questions were answered as they traveled. The bull kept an eye on Jason as they walked and it didn't leave him. The only time it made a noise was if Jason wandered a bit and it was a call back. Proud, strong, willing to take care of his herd, alert, and even loving to an extent, the bull did seem to compliment Jason. The silent journey caused Jason to think about everything that was going on, but especially on his conversation with their former mentor. He nearly ran into the bull when it stopped.

Jason moved around it to have a look and saw that he was looking into a dark room. It felt familiar in some way, but he couldn't put his finger on it at first. Finally, he recognized the only light in the room and realized that it was where he had fought Goldar for Tommy's green powers, the place that he had tried to stop the burning of the green candle. Horror overtook him and he turned to leave, only to see that the bull was gone, having done its job, and there wasn't an exit any longer. He prepared to fight Goldar as he had had to before, but there was no fight. The only other things in the room, he noticed after a moment, was the former green candle which was burnt out and the powerless green coin next to it.

Guilt overcame him and he felt the full force of how he had carried it with him. He wanted to leave, to forget, and he didn't want to face this. He sank to his knees and put his head in his hands. Alone with his worst failure, he allowed himself to feel the pain of failing his best friend.

"He never blamed you."

Jason, recognizing the voice, was to his feet in seconds as Rita Repulsa came toward him. That said, he recognized the voice, but not the woman. He'd heard that some of the old villains they'd faced in the past had turned good, but this was the first time he'd seen it. "Rita?"

"Hello, Jason," she answered as she slowly came for him, though not threateningly. She wore a sympathetic smile on her face that wasn't false and she was careful not to scare him. "You need to let this go."

"I can't." He wished he didn't sound so weak, but Rita didn't mention it.

"You must," she answered a little forcefully, but still trying to be gentle. "Jason, it was never your fault. You did what you had to do. And by losing the green, white was able to have a chance. Yes, the green power was lost, but in its place, white was created and Tommy took both. He was still a Ranger when all was said and done."

Jason shook his head. "Everything would have been fine if I would have gotten the green coin. It's no wonder Zordon didn't want me to lead afterward."

Rita was at his side by this time and she formed two chairs for them, sitting him down and motioning for her to join him. Once he did, though reluctantly, she continued. "Jason, he never meant for you to doubt yourself. You were leaving, Tommy wasn't. He felt like then was a good time. You know that. He explained it to you."

"So, how do you know?" Jason asked her and she laughed.

"Dead Eltadorians have too much time on their hands," she answered. Jason half-way smiled at that. "The point is you're feeling guilty for Tommy losing his powers and Tommy feels guilty because he put you in that situation to begin with. It happened over ten years ago. You both need to move on."

"It's not that easy," he answered. She smiled at him.

"It's a lot easier than it feels. He can't let it go until you do, Jason," she whispered. "It was never your fault."

"If I…"

"Then many more people would be dead, including Tommy himself. Would it have made more sense to save the coin and lose the bearer of it?" She demanded. "You're in your late twenties, Jason. It's time to leave that part of the past behind you."

Jason looked a little unconvinced. "But I…"

Rita smiled at him and motioned to herself. "If I get a second chance, after everything I did, don't you think that after all the good you did, you should have a reprieve?"

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but all of it sounded weak to even him. He felt some of the guilt start to fade and knew now, that with time, it would be gone. Rita motioned for her to follow him and they headed over to the candle and coin. She picked the coin up in her hand and closed her fist around it. When she opened it again, there was a crystal in it, a green one with a red border. He looked up at her. "Thank you."

She gave a quick nod and a door opened for him. "Trini is waiting for you. Good luck, Jason. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything."

She disappeared as he raced out the door and nearly collided into Trini who was right on the other side. She glanced up at him and looked a little relieved. He smiled back. "How long have you been standing here?"

"Maybe a little less than a minute," she answered, struggling as he had to get up. "Why?"

"I've been here longer than that. Well, that means that we're supposed to do this in a specific order," he answered. She just nodded.

"Do you know what we're supposed to do next?" She asked and Jason looked around to see a yellow fox getting up and starting to stretch.

"Yes," he answered. "We're supposed to follow her."

"So, that is my spirit animal," Trini said and nodded to the fox. "Please lead the way."

The fox calmly nodded once and trotted off with Jason and Trini following behind. Like Jason's, it seemed to go off into nowhere as if they were merely walking in circles. If he hadn't already gone through it and if he hadn't talked to Zordon, he would have been a lot more frustrated. Yet, Trini didn't seem frustrated at all. She seemed like her normal, calm, and patient self.

Like her, the fox was patient, making sure not to go too far and not getting too upset if they got off course. Even when it looked into Jason's eyes, he felt calmer just as he did when he was upset and Trini was calming him down. The fox also looked around for anything that might hurt them, making sure they went around them. Observant and clever, it led them. The fox was quicker than the bull and they got to where they were going quickly enough. Both Jason and Trini felt the area around them change and it became a room with no doorways once more. They recognized it, though it was just as shattered as it was last time, as the Power Chamber. Trini's demeanor immediately changed and she looked around for a door, just to notice that it had none and that the fox was gone.

Jason reached for her, but for once she pulled away, tears coming to her eyes, she headed over to the tube and sat down beside it. Putting her head against her legs, she began to cry. Jason stood there, unsure what to do, when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder and looked up to see a man giving him a sympathetic smile. He then walked past him and to the woman crying on the floor.

"Trini," the man called gently. "Trini, you need to get up."

She looked up at him, but didn't get up and didn't answer. He sighed and bent down until he was eye level with her. She looked at him and shook her head a couple of times before answering. "I…"

"Did nothing wrong, Trini," the man told her. "You didn't kill him. Technically, the red Ranger at the time did and we forced his hand."

"I know I didn't cause it to happen," she whispered. "But… I'd been wishing we could all be together again and…"

"He died," he finished. "Trini, I knew Zordon for years. Both before and after he was in that tube. I fought against him physically before he was trapped and with both of us as leaders after. He was a good man and his wisdom was achieved through years of experience. That said, he wasn't perfect. He knew what his death would do for the universe, but not how much pain and guilt it would bring to you and your friends.

"You know as well as I do that he wouldn't want you to feels so much pain over his death. Especially because of why he died. And he would have been happy that more good came of his death than he could have imagined. All of you, together again, past grievances forgotten."

Trini looked at him and nodded. "But… it should have been something else."

"But it wasn't. You have to accept that and move on. Move from your past pain. All of you are connected. You know it on some level. It's how you won so many times. You hid your pain well, but the others hid theirs too. Just as Jason needs to rid himself of his guilt, you need to rid yourself of causing yourself so much pain over something you can't help," he told her and offered her a sad smile. "None of you ever deserved this. You should have had normal lives to just be teenagers."

"Maybe," Trini said. "But we never would have come back together and we might not be as close. And Zordon didn't just give _us_ a chance to fix things, he gave you a second chance, Zedd. That may not have happened if we had been normal teenagers."

Zedd smiled at her and nodded. "Probably not. Do you feel a bit better?"

She nodded. "I just…" she started, but wasn't sure how to finish. Jason helped her.

"Never thought you'd get help from your former archnemesis?" He asked and she glanced over at him surprised that he knew what she was thinking. He smiled back at her. "I got Rita."

Trini nodded and Zedd smiled, reaching up and wiping away a tear. He reached over with his other hand and picked up a piece of glass from the tube and closed his hands together. "Here," he said, handing her the formed, white gem with a yellow border.

Trini smiled and took it. "Thank you, Zedd. Can I ask a one last question?" He nodded and she continued. "Are you and Rita happy?"

He smiled at that as he pointed to a door which had appeared. "Very. Rita's expecting," he answered. "Good luck, Trini. You as well, Jason."

With that, just as his wife did, he disappeared leaving the engaged couple alone. Jason looked at Trini. "Feeling a little better?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I never knew that it was affecting the rest of you," she said and he thought for a moment.

"I think we spent so much time trying not to hurt each other, that we ended up making it worse. These aren't just our emotions. They're Tommy's too," he said. Trini nodded.

"You received the green gem, didn't you?" She asked and he nodded.

He nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "Mixed with red. Come on. We still have to find Kim and Billy," he reminded her and they headed toward the door. Once opened, they found Billy outside of it, looking similar to how Trini had. Unlike Trini, his spirit animal was sitting next to him and the blue wolf looked ready to go.

Billy glanced up at his friends. "Did your quests go well?" He asked. Jason shrugged.

"About as well as can be expected. You ready?" He asked.

"Yes," came the answer as he pulled himself painfully up. Like before, the wolf was quicker than the bull was and was more attentive. Yet, unlike the fox, it didn't go ahead but stayed at Billy's side as if encouraging him to go quicker instead of forcing him to keep up. The world changed and it took a minute before Billy realized where he was. He looked around the room and started to feel frantic. He glanced around, but Jason put a hand on his shoulder.

"There are no doors yet," he told him. Billy pulled away and tried to pull himself back together, but considering how real it looked and felt, it wasn't easy. Trini moved toward her old friend, but Jason gently held her back.

"He has to do this. We can be here, but it's like how it was with you…" he began and she nodded.

"We can't help him yet," she said. Billy felt frantic. He knew that his friends didn't recognize the place since they had moved on before he'd left, but he recognized Aquitar, the room, everything about it. He'd lived in it for two years. Two wonderful years, but that was over now. It was in the past, somewhere he couldn't get to no matter how brilliant he was. Worse, he had kept it from them for so long he wasn't sure how to handle them finding out this way. He realized that he'd never come up with a way to tell them, keeping it secret instead which was easier to do when you lived on a different planet.

"Tell them," a voice called to him. He glanced up and it took him a minute to recognize Divatox from what little he'd seen of her. "You need to tell them."

"Go to hell," he answered, surprising both of his friends. She sighed, but didn't come close to him. He shook his head. "We have an infinite amount of acquaintances in the galaxy, yet you are supposed to guide me?"

"I'm directly connected to your pain, aren't I?" She asked. His eyes narrowed and she shrugged. "That's why, Billy."

"It happened because of you," he whispered, forgetting that Jason and Trini were in the room by this point. "She perished because of you!"

"I know," Divatox answered sympathetically. "I can't change that. I can only help you from this point on."

"You had to conquer Aquitar, didn't you? It was brief, but the amount of vessels disembarking at the same time …" he started. "The earthquakes…"

"They were my fault, Billy, yes. Just as there was damage done on earth, there was damage done on Aquitar. I'm sorry you lost her, but I can't change it," she told him. "And that's not why we're here. I don't need your forgiveness and I don't want it. What I did was horrible, but you've been keeping it to yourself for nearly six years."

"How would I officially state the occurrence?" Billy snapped. "Salutations! I realize that I didn't inform you that Cestria and I had a child, but she gave birth six years ago and perished soon after during the final battle. I apologize for not informing you earlier, but the death of our mentor did not seem like a good time?!"

"It make be short, but I think it got the point across," Divatox answered, motioning to Jason and Trini. Billy's face turned from anger to horror as he turned to his friends, only to see the same horror in their own eyes. It was quiet for a minute and Billy prepared himself for the accusations and fury that would come, but Trini moved across the room and pulled him into a hug.

"Billy," she said sympathetically as she held him. He felt a bit shocked and was even more so when he felt Jason's hand on his shoulder, not saying a word. Trini looked at him. "Please, tell us what happened?"

The simple request pushed him and he finally answered with what had happened. "It was during the final attack, shortly before Zordon died. You know how bad it was on Earth. It affected Aquitar as well. The vast amount of ships caused our cities to shake. We did not think anything of it since the architecture was built differently and we believed it to be a minor annoyance, but we were wrong. It happened expediently. The planet does not have many large earthquakes and the buildings, while sound in the water, were still connected to the surface. They were not built to withstand the pressure. Cestria and I were inside of it with our baby daughter when the architecture began to fail us, falling apart from beneath rather than caving in. I managed to save our daughter, but Cestria was injured. With the Aquitian Rangers fighting and other failures to our city occurring, help was not able to arrive. For all my intelligence, I could not… she…"

He tried to force back all of the emotions that were coming through again, yet was unable to continue. Trini and Jason both embraced him again. "We're so sorry, Billy," Trini whispered. He looked at her.

"I wanted to tell you but after I did not tell you for so long, I could not," he admitted, feeling more and more like a coward by the minute. Jason quickly decided to move the question away from Cestria's death.

"You have a daughter?" He asked, trying to help lighten the mood, but it only made Billy feel worse.

"Affirmative. A six-year-old daughter named Trinine," he answered. Jason chuckled.

"I wonder who she was named after," he teased looking at Trini who smiled a bit. Billy nodded.

"We named her after Delphine and Trini. It felt like the right choice of action," he answered. "I fear she know more about you than you do about her."

"Good stuff, I hope," Jason joked and then looked serious again. "Is it dangerous for her to come here? I mean, besides for the fact that the Earth is the primary target for everything. What I mean is, can she actually stay on it or…"

Trini gently put her finger on her fiance's lips and turned to Billy. "Can she handle the Earth, like you, or is she like her mother and needs to be in water more often than not?"

Billy smiled a bit. "Both. She is amphibious. She will dehydrate a little quicker, but she will be fine as long as she drinks plenty of water," he answered. "I am sorry for not letting you know."

"We know," Trini said softly. "As long as you tell Zack, Kim, and Tommy, we can handle letting the rest of the Ranger family know. I think they might be hurt at first, but I'm sure they'll forgive you. It was a hard time for all of us."

"Trini's right. Honestly, I'm just glad you told us. This way, we can meet Trinine," Jason agreed.

Billy nodded, not looking forward to telling the others, but still a little relieved to get it off his chest. He had the feeling he'd feel even better once everyone else knew. "Billy." He glanced up and saw Divatox hold up an item of Cestria's. She closed it in her hands and tossed him the red and blue gem. "No more secrets."

He nodded once to her. "No more secrets," he agreed and she smiled.

"Good. Now that you've agreed to it, maybe other Rangers will start being more straightforward," she said happily before looking serious. "Good luck and I am sorry."

"I know," he answered. She disappeared and the door reappeared and Billy turned to the others. "We should go. This place… I do not belong here anymore."

They nodded and headed out the door, but Kim wasn't there. Her spirit animal was, however, and it was making quiet noises. The pink crane was resting below a tree waiting for them. Trini turned to Billy. "Why isn't she here?"

"I am unsure," he answered. "The rest of us began in the same place."

Jason thought for a minute and turned to the crane. "Lead the way," he said quickly. The other two looked a little confused but followed. "Kim's quest is different."

"Are you sure?" Trini asked as they hurried along and Jason nodded.

"Yeah. The gem broke into three pieces: Green, white, and red. There isn't another piece. Just the broke pieces," he reminded them. "We had to face things that happened in the past that are affecting our present, right? What if Kim isn't doing that? What if she's facing something in the present or future? We've had to deal with things that affect us from the past: guilt, pain, and secrets. What do Kim and Tommy both share? What emotion, other than love, are they constantly dealing with?"

Trini looked at Billy who looked back at her. Both had figured out what he meant and they both looked pale. Finally, Trini answered the question. "Fear."

* * *

When the crane finally stopped, they realized that they were in the Lab, though it was in poor shape. It had been torn away, pieces of computer and raptor everywhere. There were three solitary blankets on the ground and minimal light. The three friends headed into the room and looked around. They found Kimberly in part of the wreckage, as if trying to put it back together. She wasn't making much noise, but when they did, stepping on some of the fallen parts and glass, making a little sound, her head whipped around and her eyes grew large. "You're dead," she whispered. "Dead."

Jason looked at Billy who took a moment to process the situation as Kim moved away from them. "It would appear she is confined in her own fear," he answered. "I am not precisely sure how to bring her out of it."

Kimberly fell into some of the other fallen pieces to try to get away, making a far louder noise than her former teammates. The door opened and quietly shut behind before a young man hurried downstairs. "Kim!" He hissed. "Quiet!"

"I saw them, Conner. I saw them," she whispered and he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Kim, they're dead. You've just been working on trying to repair things too long again," he told her, holding her to him. Like her, he looked terrified, though his was more hidden. "Come on, calm down. Hayley will have out necks if we start making too much noise again."

"She sent you down to shut me up again, huh?" Kim asked and Conner looked a little sheepish. "I'm not crazy, you know. I saw them."

"Yeah, I know," he offered, trying not to fight with her. "But they're really dead, Kim, and rebuilding the Lab isn't going to bring them back. Did you manage to send a message to the Aquitian Rangers?"

She nodded, accepting his change in subject. "I'm hoping they get here soon. The only reason Mesagog hasn't succeeded is because of your gem."

"Which is why we have to keep quiet," Conner insisted. "They already have three out of four. Four out of five if you count Trent's."

She nodded. "Did you find anything from the crash?"

He looked a little uneasy, but nodded. "Yeah. Let's just say there weren't any survivors, 'kay?"

Kim closed her eyes. "I was hoping one of them would have made it," she whispered. "I don't know where Trini and Billy put the extra power."

"Not your fault," he assured her and he heard the door open again before shutting. Conner rolled his eyes and shook his head at Kim before turning to the stairs. "Hayley, after all of the flack you've been giving us about being quiet and you can't even shut a door quie…"

Kim looked over as Mesagog came down the stairs. Conner backed up to her as the dinosaur tossed him a bracelet. Conner handed it to Kim, closing his eyes for a minute from the blow. Kim looked at it and even stained with a little blood she was able to see it was Hayley's communicator which she pocketed, not wanting to look at it. Not wanting there to be even more casualties, Conner didn't wait any longer. He picked her up and raced out of the lab into the forest using his own power.

For the three watchers, the world just moved with Kim and Conner. Everything changed as it would have had they had to keep moving. Right now, they were unable to be involved. Conner finally stopped and let Kim down relaxing a bit. "That was…" He was unable to finish as a blast of arrows shot him down. Kim caught him as he began to fall and he accepted it, one hand on her shoulder and the other fell to her waist. He smiled a bit at her. "Close?"

He convulsed for a minute and then stopped. She held onto him even after. "Conner?" She asked, but he didn't answer. She set him down just in time to be torn away from the body as Trent ripped off Conner's bracelet and headed away.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" She growled and he shrugged.

"Why bother? Dr. Oliver created everything, Hayley built everything, and the Rangers fought," he answered and turned to leave again. "What good were you?"

They left and Kim cried, hard. The three watched in silence for a minute or two before Trini spoke up. "Where's hers?" She asked. The other two looked around, realizing what Trini meant. There wasn't a former villain there to comfort her and convince her to get past the fear that there had been for their quests. They were oddly alone.

Jason thought for a moment and Zordon's words stuck out in his head. _No, Jason. This is the last time you will see me. You'll understand when it's over. _Jason muddled through it a few times before walking away from the other and over to Kim. He stood above her, not liking what he was about to do, but knowing he had to do it.

"Get up, Kim," he told her. She ignored him. "Kim, get up."

"Don't have to listen to ghosts," she muttered, nearly making him laugh. Considering he was the one to tell her that so long ago when they were children, it was rather ironic that she was using it against him now.

"You have to listen to this one. Now get up so we can talk about this," he ordered. Even though he'd been leading them since they before they had become Rangers, he couldn't remember actually ordering them around unless there was a battle, but even he heard the lack of request in his voice. Kim picked herself up and looked at him, still crying. He took that as a time to continue. "We're not dead. You know that. Remember, Tommy isn't dead, he's in a coma."

She backed away from him a bit and he sighed. She shook her head. "No…"

"Yes. Kim, I have never tried to make you do anything, but I am now. You need to know I'm right and you need to believe it. Kim, it's not going to end up like this. This stupid place is making you think it will, but it's just fear. You're better than this! Crying around, weak, that's not you! When they attacked the lab the first time, who defended it? You. When Conner wanted to leave, who convinced him to stay? You. When Trent attacked you in the lab, who cut off part of his ear? Who kept Conner calm when you guys were trapped? Who tamed the raptors? Who knows when it's a good idea to bring in reinforcements? Who was the god damned first pink Ranger?"

"Me," she whispered and he smiled at her.

"Damn straight, Little Sister," he answered. "You're an important member on this team, active Ranger or not. You're worried that you'll let them down from not having the Power and Tommy's worried he'll let you down by not using it well enough. You're both worried about you becoming single again because he gets killed. You worry about the kids. You both worry that you're not enough. Hell, we're all worried we're not enough!"

The other two came over by this point and looked just as guilty about it as Kim who looked at the ground. "We're just…"

"We're not what? Zordon? Trini, what did Zedd tell you?" He asked and she ran through her thoughts quickly.

"That Zordon was a good man and his wisdom was achieved through years of experience, but he wasn't perfect?" She asked and then let it sink it, nodding. Jason smiled.

"Billy, how much more time did Zordon have than us to get it better. Only including years in the tube.

"We had point zero one percent of the experience he did," Billy answered.

Jason looked at Kim and gave her a small smile. "And when you admitted to cutting off part of Trent's ear, what did Conner do?"

She blushed. "Managed to find every Ranger and tell them about it."

"Followed by saying that he had the best mentor ever," Jason answered. "We're not perfect, but neither was Zordon. Think about what we've managed to get done already just today. We've all been feeling inadequate, but how do you think Zordon felt? At some point, he had to have had a mentor as well."

"True," Kim answered. "Alright, so this was just a little test, huh?"

Jason nodded. "And test or not, I think that someone else believes in us too."

Kim looked questioningly and Jason pointed to her pocket. Inside, was a single red gem. "What?"

"Dream Conner dropped it in your pocket. Even in fear, you knew you were better than that. That others believe in you. The kids, Hayley, the Rangers who followed us," he whispered. Kim nodded and smiled. He looked at all of them. "Zordon's a part of us. His knowledge and experience were something that he gave to us time and time again, but we learned from our own mistakes too. Kim, what was something important that you taught the new Rangers out of your own experience?"

"To dodge," she answered with a laugh. "It's something we never learned."

"Trini, what about you?" He asked and she thought for a moment.

"A different sort of honor," she answered. "And I helped teach them how to mediate."

"Billy?"

"How to improvise," he answered. "Yourself?"

"Most of mine are similar to Tommy's: active leadership, the importance of training…"

"What about Zack?" Kim asked and Jason laughed.

"The importance of family," he answered. He smiled at all of them. "We might not be perfect, but I think we've got it down. We need to stop comparing ourselves to him."

"Alright," Kim said and pointed to the gems. "Since we have this down and we passed, let's go save Tommy."

Jason shook his head vigorously. "Oh no. We just went through Hell getting those pieces and you want to just hand them over? No, he needs to work for them."

The other three looked at each other, grinned, and looked back at him. Kim was the first to answer. "What did you have in mind?"

Jason felt the shard and concentrated on it. He wasn't too surprised when he managed to become the green Ranger. He nodded to Trini and Billy who followed becoming the white and red Rangers respectively. Jason looked at Kim who was just laughing. He shrugged. "I'm thinking a little test…"

* * *

Tommy was definitely getting tired. It was one thing to have to fight himself, but to fight three versions was becoming extremely painful. Still the only one left he had to fight was green, at least he hoped so. He grimaced as he thought about the possibility of having to fight a black Ranger version of himself last, but they had seemed to go backward. Thus far it had gone red, then white, then green. He dodged as the green Ranger headed toward him again. He felt the final blow and went flying to the ground as he lost. "Why don't you just give up the fight?"

"That's one thing I'll never do," Tommy answered determinedly.

"Then I guess this is over," the green Ranger answered and held out his hand. "You passed the test."

The other two joined him with the green Ranger in the middle. The white Ranger glanced over at the green one. "I told you this would have been too easy for him."

The red one laughed. "We should have made him do something more difficult. Like remember where he left his car keys."

"Or get him to be on time somewhere," the white one joked. Tommy looked more than a little confused. They all had his voice, but not his personality. The green one turned to them.

"Guys…" he chided and took off his helmet. "Good job, Bro."

"Jason?" Tommy asked, more than a little surprised. He glanced at the other two and the white one removed her helmet. "Trini?"

"Hello, Tommy," she said politely and turned to the red Ranger who shrugged and took off his own helmet.

"Billy? What…?" He asked and they all turned around as Kim walked up to them.

"You're in a coma, Handsome," she told him. "We came to help you."

"By beating the crap out of me?" He asked incredulously. Jason shrugged.

"We had to go through our own challenges," he answered. "It wouldn't have made sense to leave you out of it and it seemed fitting. Fighting us while you're fighting for your life. There's a parallel there. Besides, I had to talk to Rita."

"Zedd," Trini answered with a shrugged.

"Divatox," Billy muttered. Tommy turned to Kim who pretended to pout and pointed directly at Jason.

"He yelled at me!" She mock-whined. All of them laughed at that and Jason nodded to the others as Kim opened up her hand as she stood next to Tommy. Jason and her had figured this part out: how to fix the gem.

"Guilt can tear you and your team apart. It can eat at your soul until there is nothing left. Let it go," Jason told him and placed the green and red gem into Kim's hand. Trini went next.

"There is pain in the past and it's usually followed or proceeded by guilt. Don't face it alone. Often others are in just as much pain and it helps to share it," she told him, giving the former pink Ranger the white and yellow gem. Billy finished.

"We all have secrets. Sometimes, they're hard to share, but you have to. They cause pain and guilt and eventually it will come out which will make things worse. It's better to let others know before that happens," he told him and handed her the blue and red gem. Kim took them as the red gem that the fake Conner had given her turned pink and then blended into her other hand which she closed over the shards. She looked at Tommy.

"No matter what happens, no matter what we face, we are strong enough and good enough to handle it," she assured him. "We can handle anything."

The gem glowed and the pieces blended together, turning back into the black gem. Kim smiled at him. "It's time to wake up."

* * *

Hayley had hoped that it wouldn't take too long for them to be gone, but as she laid a blanket on the final teenager, she realized just how late it was. All four of the other adults were still lying in the place that they'd fallen at on Tommy who didn't look any different than he had before. Each of the teens had fallen asleep in turn and nearly one right after the other. She was just glad that they'd had the foresight to call their parents and make up something to let them stay. She wasn't sure if she would have remembered to.

She sighed as she looked at all of them, nearly jumping when her cell-phone went off. "Hello?"

_"Hey, Hayley. Any change?"_ She sighed.

"Sorry, Zack," she told him. "Not yet. They're still all out."

_"And the kids?"_ He asked.

"They're asleep, but fine," she answered. There was silence on the other end and she knew that Zack believed her, but this was just as hard on him. He had wanted to come the minute he'd heard, but the only plane available was for the next morning and only Billy knew how to use the transporter. "Do you want to talk to one of them?"

_"Yes, no, I don't want to wake them but…" _he started.

"Don't worry. He'll fall right back asleep," she answered, gently shaking Conner who immediately woke up.

"Are they up yet?" He asked eagerly and she shook her head. "Oh."

"Zack's on the phone. Here, talk to him so he doesn't panic," Hayley instructed. Conner laughed a bit at that and took the phone.

"Hey Zack," Conner started.

_"Hey Conner. How are things going?" _Zack asked, trying to sound casual. Conner didn't buy that for a minute.

"They're still under," he answered. "You going to be here soon?"

_"Stupid plane doesn't leave until tomorrow,"_ he answered. _"I have a lot of money, but I don't have a jet."_

"What about Andros?" Conner asked and there was a long sigh.

_"Too suspicious. We're trying not to be linked with them. Plus, in the time it took them to get here, the plane would probably be quicker,"_ he answered. _"But I'll be there soon."_

"Uh, Zack? How are you explaining this again?" He asked and Zack snickered.

_"My cousin, Tommy, is in the hospital and my family needs him to come make sure he's okay," _he answered. _" Considering that I didn't have to actually take the time off too much for you and Kim, they're not pressing it."_

"Cool," Conner answered. "Hey Zack? Hayley's giving me the 'You're spending my minutes' look. I gotta go."

_"I'll be there as soon as I can, Conner. Let me know if there's any change,"_ he requested.

"I will. It might be a little after because, you know, distracted, but I will," he promised. With that, they hung up and Hayley took her phone back as Conner headed back to sleep. Hayley was about ready to join him when she heard moaning coming from the bed. She glanced over and saw the adults begin to move as they awoke.

"Conner! Ethan! Kira! Wake up!" Hayley called out. Conner groaned.

"How many times is he going to call?" The red Ranger whined. Hayley tried to shoot him a look, but she couldn't. She was too happy about this.

"They're awake!" She called out. Kira was to her feet as she pulled herself up to look.

"All of them?" She asked anyway. Hayley smiled at her and pointed to where Tommy's eyes were blinking awake.

"All of them," she answered. She quickly realized that while exciting, it probably hadn't been the best thing to do as she had to hold back three overeager teenagers from mobbing the newly awoken adults. Jason was the first one up, stretching and smiling at Trini who was dragging herself up. Billy dragged himself off the bed and nearly fell backwards onto the floor to the amusement of his former teammates. They were trying not to snicker.

"It's easier if you don't get up," Kim muttered as she began to awake. Jason laughed.

"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure Tommy will want to get up eventually, Kim," he teased. Kim clung to where she was.

"He can deal," she answered. "He didn't get yelled at."

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Jason asked exasperatedly and Kim pretended to think about it.

"No. I want to keep using that one as long as… Jason! Put me down!" She squealed as he picked her up off of Tommy and threw her over his shoulder. "Put me down! Okay! Okay! You win, I'll drop it!"

Jason laughed and set her down, grinning at her. "You shouldn't mess with me. I'm a bull, you know."

"Yours was a bull?" Kim asked. "What was yours, Trini?"

"A fox," she answered. "Not one word, Jason."

Jason quickly shut his mouth. Tommy was up by this point, though he wasn't getting up. He glanced at all of them. "Thanks, guys."

"Anytime," Kim answered with a slight grin. "And by anytime, I mean never again."

Tommy laughed and nodded. "Fair enough."

"So, was it real?" Kim asked. "I don't mean mine, but did you guys really see Rita, Zedd, and Divatox?"

"To be fair," Trini answered quickly seeing the horror on Tommy's face. "They weren't bad. We were dealing with the purified versions that Zordon left behind."

Kim nodded. "So, were they the real versions or just our collective imagination?"

Jason thought for a moment and shrugged saying the only thing he could think of to say at that moment. "Does it really matter? I mean, no matter what they helped us through it, right? And what matters is that Tommy's back."

They nodded for a moment and then heard Conner whine. "They're up. Now can we?"

They didn't see Hayley nod. All the five of them saw were three blurs: one red, one yellow, and one blue diving at them. They winced as the Dino Thunder Rangers knocked them backward.

"Ethan, your knee is in my stomach. Would you mind moving it?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Kim."

"Kira, I'm not sure how you managed to knock both Trini and I over but…"

"I'm just that good, Jason?"

"Conner! Move!"

"Not on your life, Doctor O."

Though Hayley had heard Conner promise to call Zack, she figured that she could handle that. After all, he was busy. She picked up the phone and waited until she heard Zack's voice on the other line. Then, as loud as she could to overcome the noise, she saw two words:

"They're back!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I had fun with this chapter. For all of the angst in it, I still had fun with it. Couple of notes: I am in no way an expert on science or alien cultures. Therefore, if you are a science wiz and the who Aquitar bit wasn't as realistic to you, I'm sorry. I also know that we saw very little of that fight, so I improvised a bit.

Jason and Trini's animals were chosen for various reasons. Jason's were the bull's traits of: standing your ground, looking for trouble, and love toward his 'herd'. Trini's was a fox for: cleverness, stealth, gentleness, and persistence. Just in case you were wondering.

Billy's quest has been slightly hinted at and Jason's was there canonically. Trini's personality is that of a mediator and I could see her wanting her friends to all be friends again. Kim's was a bit more difficult because it had to be a "what if" instead of a past experience. While this isn't the last chapter, I wanted them on the road to recovery from losing Zordon in the beginning of the story to becoming confident mentors by the time the last chapter came.

And that's the second to last thing: There will be five more chapters following this one. I thought about just making it into one long story, but I thought it would be easier for all of you and me if I split them into two long stories. So, I'll be keeping the same schedule and it will be a very direct sequel after the five chapters have been put up. I have also decided to do that prequel I was talking about with Hayley and all of that though I'm not sure on a time table for that one.

I apologize for the massive amount of notes for this chapter. And, as always, I would like to thank you all so much for your reviews. I love reading them.


	16. Memories Futures and Plan

**Chapter 16: Memories, Futures, and Plans**

"So, this is the Lab when it's not in pieces," Zack said as he leaned back in one of the chairs, grinning at Tommy and Kim. "You realize you work in a cave, right?"

He ducked one of the beanbags Kim threw at his head at the joke as the teens laughed. Zack had arrived as quickly as possible, reacting in about the same way as the younger Rangers had and it was followed by a pout that he didn't get to go along. He'd argued that he could have been there to do something, but, as they were reluctant to admit, somehow he'd ended up as the most well-adjusted. He hadn't needed to go on that quest and had something gone terribly wrong, he would have been needed in the physical plane. They'd discussed the various quests to him and what they'd learned, but after that, none of them really spoke about it much. Zack turned his attention away from the playful insults and toward the three teenagers as he grinned even harder. "So, about presents…"

"Dude, you brought us something?" Conner asked. Kira and Ethan looked over as well, while Tommy just groaned and muttered about how he was spoiling them. Kim patted her boyfriend's arm, reminding him that Zack didn't get to see the teens as often. Zack looked thoughtful at the question before answering.

"Yes and no. No, I didn't bring you anything you can keep, though we're going to get you all something later at the mall and yes, I brought you something to show you," he said happily. He reached into his bag, which he'd brought down with him and pulled out a slightly dusty disk. He blew it off and put it into the computer. The teens looked eager, but the adults all looked a little confused.

Kim looked at Zack. "Zack, what exactly is on that disk?' She asked and Zack's grin turned mischievous.

"Don't worry, Kim. You'll recognize it. It's amazing what Zordon saved," he said cheerfully causing his teammates to pale. Both Jason and Tommy raced toward Zack at the same time, which caused the former black Ranger to quickly press the play button, yelling "Enjoy!" as they tackled him to the ground.

Ethan raced for the computer before Billy could get to it and covered all of the buttons to turn it off. Kira and Conner raced over to help him, laughing as they did so. Billy tried to get past them but felt something holding him back. He turned to see Hayley whose smile was just as bad as Zack's. "I want to see the embarrassing tape," she told him. Trini and Kim both tried to get to it as well, but it was well-blocked by this point and the video had already begun.

_"Is it working yet, Billy?" A much younger version of Kim was looking into lens and waved as she asked, nearly bouncing on her toes. She looked about seventeen and slightly overeager to begin whatever they had planned._

_"Affimative, Kim. The frequency may be a bit erratic due to climate conditions, but it should function in a reasonable manner," Billy answered. Kim looked over helplessly at Trini._

_"He says it will work fine, but we might have some trouble with keeping it up because of the rain," she answered. Kim nodded._

_"Thanks, Trini," she said and looked at the others who could all be seen at this point. Even Billy, who was finishing setting it up, was ready. "So, whose going first? How are we going to do this? Are we all going to go or one at a time?"_

_"One at a time, Kim. Tommy, can you keep her quiet during everyone else's turn?" Jason teased. Tommy grinned and looked back at him._

_"You always complain when I do that," he joked back. "Besides, I don't want to fry out Alpha."_

_Billy looked at Trini helplessly and the yellow Ranger quickly got the conversation back on track. "Billy, they're not going to short-circuit Alpha. Your weekend is safe. Tommy, stop scaring Billy. Jason, no teasing Tommy and Kim. Kim, one at a time and in whatever order fits. I think it makes the most sense for Jason to go first."_

_There was a round of agreements and Jason stepped forward. "I can't believe I let Kim talk me into this. So, if you're watching this, first, I'm sorry. This was Kim's idea. Blame her. Why am I doing this?"_

_"Because you're our fearless leader!" Kim answered and continued with a slight whine. "Come on, Jason. I can't go until you do!"_

_"I vote we make Kim go last!" Zack teased. Trini sighed as there was laughter mixed with Kim's protests._

_"Guys!" She said and they quieted down again. She smiled at the red Ranger. "Go ahead, Jason."_

_"Umm… well, we're the Power Rangers. You're probably one too if you're watching this, so, uh welcome? I'm Jason Scott, the red Ranger. And these," he said moving out of the way. "Are the other Rangers. I'll, uh, let them introduce themselves now."_

_"Hi! I'm Kimberly Hart, the pink Ranger. Welcome! I hope that you don't see this too late in the future so that I can meet you all! If I'm still around, make sure to get a hold of me, okay? I could tell you so many stories…" Kim said happily before turning the camera over to Zack._

_"Run! Run away before she finds you!" he mock-whispered, only to get smacked in the arm by Kim. "So, I'm Zack Taylor, the black Ranger. If I'm still around, look me up and I'll teach you some hip-hop Aikido."_

_He proceeded to show a few moves and handed the spotlight to Trini. "Hello," she said softly. "I'm Trini Kwan, the yellow Ranger. I hope, like Kim, that one day I'll be able to meet some of you."_

_"Salutations," Billy Cranston said taking over from Trini. "I'm Billy, the blue Ranger. Flucuation!"_

The camera went dead for a moment and Zack shrugged. "It was a pretty bad night. Considering that we were trying to get everything fixed in the place anyway, I'm kinda surprised now that we didn't have more problems. Okay, and we're back."

_"Did you want to continue or…" Tommy said as he took the screen. An off-camera motion was made as Tommy quickly took it back. "My turn, I guess. I'm Tommy Oliver, the gree…"_

_"White!" The others called out. Jason rolled his eyes._

_"That's the third time you've done that. Look at your clothes," Jason teased. Tommy gave him a look before continuing._

"_Right, I'm the white Ranger, but I used to be the green Ranger. Umm… if you lived in Angel Grove at any time I was evil, I'm really sorry about that."_

_Jason groaned. "When this is done, can we delete it and pretend like it never happened?"_

_"No!" Kim said. Jason sighed._

_"You're not going to let this go, are you?" He asked and she shook her head._

_"No. We need to hurry anyway. Alpha's finally gone. If we're going to do this, we need to do it now," she said. Jason nodded._

_"Fine," he sighed._

_"So, Trini, Zack, and I are getting ready to go to this Peace Conference we got accepted into. We're pretty excited, but for the first time, we're not going to be a team anymore," Jason said._

_"And it's really kind of got us scared, you know?" Zack continued. "I mean, the fate of the world and everything, but what's going to happen to our family? That's kinda what we've become."_

_"And eventually other groups will have to go through this as well, so we thought we'd tape this so that you'd have something to show them. We added bits and pieces that were recorded on the viewing globe and to this, including some parts with you and Alpha in it," Trini continued._

_"Apologies, Alpha. We aspired to inform you of our plan, but it was imperative that Zordon was kept out of it and it is arduous for you to keep a secret from him," Billy added. "The splitting of the team is already strenuous, but we have decided not to let it break us apart. We'll always be Rangers."_

_"Billy, Kim and I are eventually going to leave too, so you new Rangers, you guys better take care of Zordon, okay? And we were serious before: if you need us, call us, okay? We'd love to meet you," Tommy added. "We know what it's like when you first get your powers but Zordon is a good teacher. You'll be fine."_

_"So, I think that's everyone but me. Umm… well, we thought that since we're splitting up, you might want something of all of us, so I suggested we make this and the others agreed," Kim said. "And you can use it when you have another team too. We managed to even find some footage of how we reacted when we first got our powers, so you can show them that if you want."_

_She looked over at the others and Jason motioned her to continue. "This was your idea," he told her. "You should say it."_

_"We know it's an Earth custom, but, uh, we wanted to stay 'Happy Father's Day!' We hope you enjoy your gift!" She finished. "Hey Billy? How do I turn this off?"_

_"It's a good thing we're not losing Billy. Everything would break down," joked Tommy. Kim looked at him._

_"Tommy, Trini's leaving," she reminded him and his eyes widened as he realized that their best translator wasn't going to be there. He looked over at Trini and grabbed her into a hug._

_"Don't leave us! We'll never know what Billy's saying again!" He whimpered. Kim looked over at Jason._

_"You're leaving me alone with him and Billy? I can't understand one and the other is clinging to my best friend," she joked, trying not to laugh. Jason glanced over and sighed, trying to take command of the situation._

_"Tommy, get off Trini," he told him, pulling on him, but Tommy held on even harder. By this point, Trini was protesting, Jason was pulling, and Tommy was still begging her not to go. Zack and Kim were both nearly on the ground from laughing so hard at their friends' antics._

_"Aye-yi-yi! What is going on?" A voice called out and Alpha could be seen coming in and trying to figure out the situation. "Tommy, Jason, what are you doing?"_

_Both boys, to the amusement of Kim and Zack, seemingly ignored him. Tommy glared at Jason. "She's not leaving!" He exclaimed, still holding onto Trini's waist. Trini had given up trying to get him off by this point and merely had her arms folded as she waited for the white Ranger to let go._

_"Yes she is!" Argued Jason. "You can't stop her from going just because you can't understand Billy sometimes!"_

_"Yes I can!"_

_"No you can't!"_

_"Rangers, please!" Alpha pleaded and Zack clapped a hand on the robot's shoulder._

_"Relax, Alpha. They just need to get it out," Zack told him, trying to control his laughter._

_"Yes I can!"_

_"No you can't!"_

_**"Rangers…"**__ A voice called out and all of the activity died down. Tommy let go of Trini so quick that she nearly fell over before he tried not to look guilty. Jason had fallen over at he let go of Tommy and lost his footing, and was quickly pulling himself up off the floor. Both Kim and Zack tried to calm down, which was a lot easier at this point. All of them looked a little sheepish, other than Billy who was off-camera. __**"What are you doing?"**_

_In a move they would all regret later, every last one of them including Billy answered. "Nothing."_

_Before any of them could say anything else and while Zordon sighed at whatever they were up to, Billy spoke up. "Guys, the camera is continuing to function."_

_Tommy__ winced. "Trini, please tell me that doesn't mean the camera's still on."_

_Trini, deadpanned, look back at her friend. "See, you understand him perfectly."_

Conner, Kira, and Ethan were on the ground laughing at the end of it and the only thing holding Hayley up was the chair she was leaning against. The others looked far less than amused by their younger companions laughter, other than Zack who was laughing right along with them. He almost missed the murderous tone that was in Tommy's voice. "Zack…"

The former black Ranger pulled himself together as Tommy lunged at him. He quickly dodged and ran, trying to find some place to hide. Tommy chased after, not about to let him get away. The others were waiting for Tommy to catch his so that they didn't end up running into each other. Tommy probably would have gotten Zack had the raptors not been watching. Red, Yellow, and Blue were content to let it be, but Black wanted in on the fun and knocked Tommy over thinking it was a game, making a playful chirping noise after he did so. Zack grinned. "Yeah! That's right, Black! We fun guys gotta stick together!"

Black chirped again happily as Zack rubbed his side. Tommy was pulling himself back up. "Black! Whose side are you on?!"

Black looked at Zack who was still petting him. Zack thought for a minute and grinned. "If you help me get away, I'll get you something new to chew on. Steel even. Whatcha say?" Black chirped and bent down his head so that Zack could get on. Zack threw himself on the raptor's back. "Wahoo!"

Tommy glared at Black as he moved away from his usual rider, chirping again just as playfully. "Black! You traitor! Come back here!"

Black bounded over Tommy's head, playing an easy game of keep away with him. The Dino Thunder Rangers laughed even harder as the game commenced. Conner's eyes lit up as they watched. "Guys, I just got a great idea."

"I really hope it doesn't involve the raptors," Kira pleaded to whichever deity was listening. "Please don't let it involve the raptors."

"So we take the raptors…"

"Damn."

"And we get a large ball, right? And we play a weird form of basketball on raptor back. With how they can jump, it would be great!" Conner insisted. Kira rolled her eyes and turned to Ethan who was watching the antics of Black and Zack and didn't look at all worried about his friend's idea. That often only meant one thing.

"Oh God, you agree with him!" She exclaimed. "You want to do it too."

"We'd need rules, Conner, or the raptors would tear each other apart," Ethan suggested, ignoring Kira who threw her hands in the air. "Hey Zack!"

"Yeah?" Zack asked, ignoring the fact that Tommy had managed to get the others to help him simply by saying the word 'movie'. While he still had a raptor, there was now five of them and one of him.

"We were thinking about creating a game. Mind helping us come up with some rules?" He asked.

Conner couldn't help himself. "If you're not too busy!"

"Nah. I'm good. What kind of game?" Zack asked as Black ran past Trini who fell into Kimberly, knocking them both down.

"See, we want to use the raptors to play something like basketball on horseback. Only, instead of horses, we use the raptors," Conner answered. "You in?"

"Oh yeah!" Zack said. Both Kim and Tommy looked incredulously at them.

"No!" They both exclaimed.

"You are not using the raptors to create a new sport," Tommy said and Kim nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely not!" She added. They both missed the wink that Zack gave the trio as he looked at his former teammates.

"So, you're saying that you're not willing to let them train?" He asked. "I mean, a game like that would be great training for both the raptors and the Rangers."

Tommy looked ready to refute it, but Kim sighed. He looked at her. "Can you honestly think of a response out of this one?"

He thought for a minute but other than 'I'm the teacher. What I say goes' he couldn't. "No. I hate it when he does that. Why does he have to spoil our Rangers? Why can't he get some of his own?"

Billy gave him a look. "And you wonder _why_ I did not tell you about Trinine."

* * *

"Please, Billy?"

Billy sighed, beginning to think that it was never ending. With Zack in town, Trini and Jason had decided to make their wedding at that point so that Zack could come to it. He'd managed to convince his work that that he was scouting for a new area in the California area to help them expand their business. True to that, he had been spending a lot of time looking around the state for viable options. An idea he'd come up with while Tommy was in the hospital. They had quickly agreed to it, having wanted to expand anyway, and with him there, paying for himself, they would not have to expend more resources into it. Still, it was unknown how long they had before Zack had to go back, so they were putting it together quickly. Jason had muttered more than once that he was glad they'd already had most of it planned out. That said, new circumstances meant new changes which Billy and Trini were arguing over. "It would mean so much to me."

"Trini, I realize that you are excited about your wedding, but she does not even know what a 'flower girl' is," he tried to convince her again. They'd been at the same conversation for hours as they worked on general repairs and updating systems. Ethan and Hayley had been helping Trini, but they were on break from pleading due to work and school. The others knew that Trini would have the best chance to convince their friend and had left it in her capable hands. "She has never even been to Earth."

"No better time to come than now. Please, Billy?" Trini asked and Billy sighed, his resolve thoroughly weakened.

"We will call her. If she is willing to come, then I will bring her here. Deal?" He asked and Trini smiled.

"Deal," she answered and pointed at the computer. Billy sighed, but walked over to it, pressing the buttons accordingly. Cestro answered for her, being her temporary guardian. Billy had decided that Cestria's brother was a logical choice in that regard when he wasn't there and Cestro had easily agreed to it. After a quick greeting, he put the young girl on to talk to her father and exited out of view range so that the two could talk more easily.

Like her father, she had sandy brown hair that probably went below her shoulders, but like many Aquitians with longer hair, it was tied in a pony tail behind her. She had her mother's darker eyes and a mask around them, but that was the only physical Aquitian trait the child had. She wore typical Aquitian clothing which had blue trimming. She beamed when she saw her father on the screen and when she spoke, she sounded human with only a slight Aquitian accent. "Papa!"

"Salutations, Neen," he answered, smiling back at his only child. "Do you recall our conversations about my friends and Earth?"

"Affirmative," she answered and frowned. "Why?"

"Aunt Trini and Uncle Jason have requested that you come here and participate in an Earth cultural event called a wedding," he explained, not simplifying his speech like many people would. "If you do not…"

"I get to go to Earth?" She asked excitedly. If he could have done it without his daughter seeing it, he would have groaned. He had hoped she wouldn't want to come since she'd lived on Aquitar her entire life. His final plan had failed and when he glanced at Trini, he knew that she knew the same. "When? Now? May I come now?"

Trini laughed. "She definitely seems like a normal girl to me. The Aquitians have always sounded calmer," Trini said and Billy nodded.

"They are. She is half-human," he explained and turned back to his daughter. "I promised your aunt that if you were willing, then I would bring you here. If you are serious, go pack and put Cestro…"

He hadn't been able to finish before she rushed off and Billy looked apologetically at Cestro. The Aquitarian Ranger just nodded before Billy said anything. "She needs her father."

"I understand," Billy said. "I am unsure of when we will return."

Cestro nodded, but said nothing else. In little time, Neen had gotten all of her stuff together and was waiting on her father. He pulled out the same thing he'd used to teleport the other Rangers out and, making sure she was ready, transported her into the Lab. The little girl squealed with delight and rushed toward her father, who picked her up in a hug before setting her back down.

"Billy, she's adorable," Trini said calmly, using every method she had not to get overly excited and possibly scare the child. "Hello, Trinine."

The girl smiled politely. "Hello," she answered. "Please call me 'Neen'. That is what Papa calls me."

"Alright, Neen," Trini answered. "I'm your Aunt Trini. Everyone else is out right now, other than Zack, but before you meet him I have a big favor to ask you. I'm getting married soon to your Uncle Jason."

She paused when the girl looked confused. Billy fortunately took control of the situation. "An officiated life-bonding."

"Oh," she answered and then looked pleased. "Is this another Earth custom with a party?"

"Similar to a birthday, but it celebrates something else," he explained. She just nodded and turned back to Trini.

"Please continue," she said and Trini tried not to laugh at the child's speech pattern. She was very similar to her father in that regard.

"Part of the ceremony is the flower girl. We were wondering if you would be willing to do that part," Trini continued.

"What would be required of me?" She asked and Trini took a mental note that the girl was not going to understand too much of Earth's culture other than what she'd learned from her father. She continued accordingly.

"You would have to wear a specialized outfit for the event and carry flora in a basket container," Trini answered, a little amused at having to do her translating job backward. The girl seemed to understand and nodded.

"Very well, Aunt Trini. I will be pleased to be in your ceremony," she said happily, walking off a little to see her surroundings. Trini nodded and laughed a bit, though not meanly before looking at Billy.

"She's just like you, only more sociable," Trini gently teased. Billy nodded.

"I tried to make sure that she was not going to be as shy as I was. I see that it worked," he said and they both heard her scream. Anything else that was going to be said was thrown to the wind as they rushed over to her. She was backing away from Black who had noticed the new human and had been checking to see what she was like. When she had screamed, it had caused him to backpedal and fall over while Neen had raced back to her father. "Shh, it is alright. That is just Black. He is friendly."

"Are you certain?" She asked and he nodded.

"He's similar to how my Zord was. Simply smaller and more annoying," Billy explained. Black didn't even both to look indignant, but got up and headed away from the girl. She was noisy and Red was already doing the equivalent of laughing at him. Trini and Billy started to turn back to the conversation when they were interrupted yet again.

"I'm telling you. Doctor O is going to kill me!"

"Conner, he's not going to kill you. I just wouldn't want to be you during training this week."

"Kira's right. He needs you. Now, if we beat Mesagog this week, then you might be in trouble." The three of them descended down the stairs. "I just don't know why you didn't study in the first place."

"I was busy!" He snapped. "I did fine in English and History."

Kira rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's great, Conner. Flunk the test for the teacher who's your mentor. Brilliant!"

"It's fine. We can fix this. We just need a distraction. A large distraction," Conner said hopefully, looking at the computer screen for an alarm. "Come on, Trent. You've been wanting to kill me. And… now!"

Ethan snickered. "Figures. The only time they don't attack is when it would help you out."

Conner groaned again. "I'm doomed," he stated as he sat down and threw his head down onto the table. "And now my head hurts."

He felt a hand patting his head that was too small to be any of his teammates followed by, "It will be okay." He paused, sat up and looked down toward where Neen had come over. Leaving the safety of her father, she was stopped patting him and looked up at him. "Salutations. Are you better now?"

"Yeah, hi," Conner said, looking extremely confused and more than a little worried that she'd heard the conversation. He was already in trouble with his mentor over the test. He didn't want to be in trouble for revealing their secret. "Uh… who are you?"

"Neen," she answered. Both Trini and Billy were standing nearby, looking amused. "Who are you?"

"Uh… Conner. Neen, can I ask you a question?" He asked and she nodded. "Why are you in the Lair?"

"It is where Papa transported me," she answered, point to where Billy was. She looked at Conner's head. "Are you still in pain?"

"No, no, I'm okay," he assured her and his momentary confusion was lifted. "So, you're Billy's kid, huh? Hey guys! Trini talked him into it!"

Ethan and Kira had been snickering further off, but both of them rushed over to introduce themselves once Conner was finished embarrassing himself. Ethan elbowed Conner and grinned. "All of the humans on Earth and the first one she meets is you. We'll be lucky if she doesn't run screaming back to Aquitar."

Conner glared at him, but didn't answer to it. Instead, he got a slightly evil look and decided that it was someone else's turn to be the resident punching bag. "Hey Zack!" He called. "Trini and Billy are holding out on you!"

Billy's eyes widened. "Not Zack," he moaned. "I have not have time to discuss with her what not to say in order for Zack not to buy her every toy on the planet."

Zack headed down the stairs easily, still eating part of the sandwich he had gotten as a snack. "Holding what out on…" He paused when he saw Neen standing there. "Billy! Man! You should have told me!"

"Which is why I did not," Billy whimpered. Trini pat his shoulder sympathetically. "She has always wanted to meet Zack the most."

"Why?" Trini asked, a little hurt. Billy just motioned to the girl as she raced over to Zack. Everyone else was forgotten.

"Salutations, Uncle Zack. I am Neen. Will you teach me hop-hip Diko?" She requested, nearly bouncing up and down. Zack laughed.

"Hip-hop Aikido," he corrected. "And it would be my pleasure."

Conner laughed as the little girl tried to follow the steps her uncle was showing her. Zack was patient and made sure that she had it down before he continued. He nearly forgot about the grade, until he heard his teacher. "Conner! Upstairs! Now!"

* * *

"Can I write out a will first?" Tommy's armed were folded as the teenager crept up the stairs. Conner looked a little hopeful at the idea of buying himself a little more time with the idea, but his mentor rolled his eyes at the question.

"No," he answered. "I'm not going to kill you. Come on." He didn't say anything else, but Conner still followed, feeling worse and worse. Ethan and Kira were right. If he was going to screw up in a class, why did he have to make it Doctor O's? Tommy looked and took a little pity on him. "I can't kill you. Trini's insistent that you're going to be in her wedding."

Conner smiled a bit, but still looked back at the ground. "I'm really sorry, Doctor O. I won't do it again."

Tommy sighed and Conner panicked. He recognized that noise and it wasn't good for him. "You said that last time. And the time before. Of all the kids in my class, Conner, I expected more out of you," Conner winced, but at least his teacher wasn't yelling yet. He had to admit that that was a definite plus. Instead, Tommy just looked at him. "Run."

Conner looked a little confused. "Doctor O?"

His teacher looked completely calm and serious. "I said I wouldn't kill you, Conner, but your performance as of late hasn't been the best. You've been slacking in school work and training. I'm wondering if you need a stricter lesson," he answered and Conner backed away, looking around for any other help. If there was one thing he didn't think he could take, it was Tommy Oliver but to his dismay, there was no one to bail him out. "Now, I suggest you run. Or I'll start the lesson here."

Finally completely scared, he did as he was told and he put everything he had behind it, power and all. Still, he felt like he could do more and pushed it, putting in everything he had just to get away. Finally, he stopped and realized that he was near the Biozords and even though he knew he could run fast, he hadn't known he could move that fast and it would take his teacher a while to keep up. He debated on whether or not to stop here or keep going since he was far away, but his mentor had invisibility which he couldn't see. His communicator beeped and Conner's fear kicked back in. He quickly ran through two scenarios in his head: Don't answer it, run away, and never return… Or answer it and possibly die. Sighing, he put his mouth over it. "I'm sorry, Conner's not here right now. Please leave a message after the beep."

_"Conner, come back now,"_ Tommy said on the other line, sounding a lot more gentle than he had before. Conner's conflict kicked back in and his survival mode was advising him against it.

"No. You'll kill me," Conner decided. He could hear the exasperation on the

other side and winced a bit.

_"You talk to him," _he heard his teacher nearly growl and a quick laugh as someone else took it.

_"Conner, it's Kim. Can you come back now, please?" _His primary mentor's voice helped a bit.

"Kim, he's going to kill me. He had that look in his eye," Conner explained. He heard a slight smack and knew that Kim had gently hit Tommy's shoulder.

_"Stop scaring the kids,"_ she grumbled. _"I swear, he goes grr and who has to clean it up? Me. Or possibly Trini. Or Jason. Still… Conner, are you still there? I promise I won't let him kill you. Will you come back now?"_

He thought for a minute and then nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her. "Okay," he answered and turned off the communicator. He glanced over at his Tyrannozord. "I may die. If I do, be nice to my replacement, okay? Wish me luck!"

With that, he ran back, though not as quickly, to where they were. Tommy was nodding to himself and talking with Kim. He crept up and slowly came toward them, feeling more than nervous. _Well, this is just great. Doctor O better never go evil again. I know I'm too scared to take him on._

"Come here, Conner," Tommy said just as gently as he had on the communicator. Conner started to feel better when the science teacher looked up apologetically. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Though, he had a good reason this time," Kim said helpfully. "Tell him what you told me, Tommy."

Tommy nodded and motioned for Conner to sit down, which he did, next to Kim and as far away from Tommy as he could get. Tommy followed in suit and then Kim who placed a hand on Conner's shoulder. Once sitting down, Tommy took off his bracelet and held it up. "The gems are a little more connected than we thought."

"Okay," Conner agreed, not understanding at all. "What are you talking about?"

Tommy took a breath and looked at Kim. "Can I talk to him about this alone, please?"

"Don't leave me," Conner begged, his eyes wide.

"I should be here too," Kim argued.

"I'm not going to hurt him," Tommy promised. He looked at Conner for help and the younger Ranger seemed conflicted. While his teacher had seemed angry before, he seemed much more calm at this point and apologetic which seemed genuine.

"I'll be okay," Conner said and Kim shook her head.

"I'm his mentor as well," Kim reminded them. Conner looked at Tommy who was starting to get agitated and decided that he might get bonus points for helping his teacher out.

"Hey Kim? Billy's kid is here. She's in the lab," Conner said casually. He barely finished before Kim was racing back to the house as quickly as she could and Tommy smiled at Conner.

"Thank you," he said honestly. "It's not that I didn't want her here, but rather that I think it's important that we have this talk alone at first."

"Why?" Conner asked.

"In case there are any embarrassing answers," Tommy said. "I have no idea exactly how far these powers go and I want you to be truthful. So, your powers work together with Kira and Ethan's. It's one reason why even when you didn't get along, you were still a great team. I don't know what else they could do together, but I do know that with the black gem, the powers are increased. So, when you started running, by concentrating on my own gem and you, you were able to run quicker. I needed to see just how fast you could run."

"Which is why you scared the life out of me?" Conner asked and Tommy shrugged.

"Sorry, Conner, but it was effective. You wouldn't have run nearly as fast if you hadn't been scared," he answered. Conner grudgingly nodded and relaxed a bit more at the answer. Without any sort of threatening action, it was hard not to believe his teacher. Tommy continued as the younger Ranger pondered that. "Besides the speed, do you feel any other changes?"

"I feel great," he answered. "I hit my head against the table earlier and I think it healed quicker than normal. Plus, running didn't wear me out too bad. It's like I've been training twice as hard."

"Then I think it's fair to say that it affects all of your powers and not just running," Tommy agreed. Conner looked at him strangely.

"What happens if you concentrate when I'm morphed?" He asked. Tommy thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure," he answered and reached toward his communicator. "Ethan, Kira, can you come to the training grounds please?"

Conner couldn't help but to feel a little worried. "This isn't going to blow me up or something, is it?" He asked. Tommy shook his head.

"No," he assured him. "This should actually be a good thing for you."

Kira and Ethan showed up as quickly as they could and looked at their science teacher. "What's up, Doctor O?" Kira asked.

"Conner, morph, please," Tommy instructed. The teenager shrugged, but did so. Tommy looked at the others. "Alright, now think about your gem and think about Conner. Try to imagine that you're giving your strength and power to him."

They both shrugged, but obeyed. All of the crystals, even Conner's red one, glowed and Conner felt himself changing a bit. He glanced around and found that his gloves had been given claws. He didn't have a tail, but he did feel faster and more agile. He tried running and, while not as fast as when he was when unmorphed, he was easily fast enough to keep up with Trent now. He also felt stronger. He glanced over to make sure that Tommy, Kira, and Ethan were okay and the gem glowed even redder. To his amazement and slight horror, Ethan was turning grey. "Doctor O!"

They all stopped and the new additions to Conner began to fade. They all looked at him until he pointed at Ethan whose greyness was only beginning to fade as well. Ethan turned his hands over and nodded appreciatively. Kira reached over at touched his right one. "It's… it's like stone."

They all stared at him and then at Tommy who nodded. "So, who was thinking about Ethan?"

Conner demorphed and looked a little sheepish as he raised his hand. "I wanted to make sure you guys were okay," he answered. Tommy smiled a bit.

"Okay, Conner," he answered. "Guys, here's what's going on. We can use our own abilities to help each other out, but Trent can take them away. I'm assuming that you all understand why this isn't a good thing."

They all nodded. Conner folded his arms and gave his teacher a slight smirk. "Come on, Doctor O. We're not stupid."

Tommy gave the same look back. "Funny, Conner. Your grades seem to disagree."

Conner just glared before continuing. "So, what am I supposed to do? How do I fight something like that?"

"I already have that figured out. I think that if you can willingly block us out, then you should be able to block him out as well," Tommy decided. "We'll just be practicing of course. If he attacks and we're around, of course we'll help you. This is just in case he takes you alone."

Conner nodded and looked at them seriously. "When it comes to it, I want to do it on my own. I want to know that I can really take him. That I'm good enough to take him."

Kira and Ethan started to protest, but Tommy nodded. "Just don't do anything stupid," he told him. When the other two look at him, he shrugged. "It's a red thing."

Both nodded, accepting that answer. Conner looked at his teacher before he began. "Are you still mad at me?"

Tommy sighed and shook his head. "No. Just please, please study next time. I don't want to fail you. And you have extra practice this week."

Conner nodded, feeling much better about the situation since his mentor wasn't going to throttle him. They went to work on preparing him. It was going to be a long road, but they were hoping by the end of it, they would all be ready. This wasn't just for Conner, they'd eventually need this in the final battles against the others as well and Tommy wasn't about to let them go unready.

* * *

"I am surprised we are not all wearing red," Billy mentioned as he finished getting his tie on. "Especially with Trini's dresses."

Tommy groaned. "Don't remind me, Billy. I had to listen to Kim complain for three days over how she had to wear yellow. And then I had to listen to her last night, once we got home, because I let Conner and Ethan come to the bachelor party."

"Thank god for Conner and Ethan," Zack muttered. "I didn't know the rest of us could get that drunk."

"Yes, because telling her _that_ would have made me look better," Tommy grumbled. He turned toward the door. "Are you boys ready yet?"

"I am!" Conner called back. "We're just finishing with Ethan. He's having a little trouble with the tie."

Tommy folded his arms and looked at Jason. "So, is everyone coming?"

"Yep," Jason answered.

"And… how are we explaining this again?" Tommy asked. Jason sighed.

"How many times have I explained this to you?" He asked and Tommy grinned.

"At least ten," he assured him and pointed to his head. "Faulty memory."

Jason grumbled, but obliged. "Fine. For the hundredth time, I know you. We know Rocky from high school and I met TJ through you. Andros is friends with TJ so I know him from that. You and I met the others on the 'retreat' we went on and so that takes care of Leo, Carter, Wes, Eric, and Cole. The kids knew the Ninja Storm Rangers, so that's covered and you're the Dino Ranger's favorite teacher. You got them interested in martial arts and asked Trini and I for help so we sort of got attached to the kids. Because we knew the red Rangers, we met all of the others too and that's why they're there. The Aquitian Rangers decided to opt for a video later and Billy created something or another to hide Neen's Aquitian attributes. Any questions?"

"Nope," Tommy answered with a grin. "I just wanted to hear you go through it again."

"Why are you my best man again?" Jason demanded and Tommy shrugged.

"Okay! We're ready!" Conner said as he came back out. Both young men were wearing similar suits and were trying to look easy-going about it though they both looked a little uncomfortable. "Aren't there going to be more groomsmen than bridesmaids? I mean, we have Rocky, Adam, Billy, Zack, Tommy, Ethan, and me. They've got Kim, Kira, Aisha, Tanya, and Hayley, right?"

"And Kat," Jason added. "And they have a flower girl. We figured that made it even."

Conner nodded. "Sounds fair to me. Now, onto more important things," he started and looked completely serious. "What flavor is the wedding cake?"

Rocky laughed from where he was sitting and pointed at Conner to Adam. "See? I told you he took after me!"

"And the world cries," joked Jason, but he was grinning as he finished checking himself out in the mirror. He couldn't help it. He was getting married.

* * *

"I have to agree with Kim. Why couldn't we wear pink?" Kat agreed as she handed Kimberly the hair brush several of the girls were sharing. "It wouldn't be that much of a change."

"Especially if we would have let me wear blue," Hayley complained. "I would look better in blue and then you still would have had Easter colors."

Trini glared at them both. "Because I'm the bride and I said so!" She answered. Both women sighed. Kat turned to Kimberly.

"When you get married, we can wear pink, right?" She asked hopefully. Kim nodded.

"Definitely," she promised. "And Hayley? I'll make sure you can have blue."

The yellow Rangers shook their heads and sighed not understanding what the big deal was really over. Hayley nodded at Kim. "Thanks. I'm going to go check on Kira and Neen."

"It's alright!" Kira said as she came out, holding the little girl's hand. "Someone is already in her dress."

Neen looked at Trini. "Is it acceptable, Aunt Trini?" She asked and Trini laughed.

"Yes, Neen. You look wonderful," she assured her. "You all look so wonderful and you're all here."

"We wouldn't miss this for the world," Aisha assured her and thought for a minute. "Okay, maybe the world. But anything besides a worldwide catastrophe, we're here for you."

Kim gave her a look. "Aisha, you're going to tempt Mesagog," she warned with a smile. "And I left my bow and arrows in the Lab with the raptors."

Kira nodded vigorously. "No tempting the dinosaur!"

All of them laughed at that and Kim smiled at Trini. "You ready?"

Trini nodded and smiled back at the others. "I'm ready."

* * *

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" Trini and Jason were only half listening. They'd been waiting for this for such a long time and now it was finally time. They both knew that the reception was going to be a little uncomfortable due to the explanations they had had to give about the various groups, but that was worth it to have everyone they cared about there. The ceremony seemed to almost fly by for them as it arrived at their vows.

"Trini," Jason began. "You have been one of my best friends since grade school. You were right there with me when I was learning martial arts, you were there when we went to the Peace Conference, and you were patient when I struggled to get the dojo up. You have stayed by me through so much. I love you and I'm so glad we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."

He slipped the ring on her finger and she smiled back at him. "Jason, you have always led me in the right direction. You never shoved or forced your way, but you always helped me figure out the way to go. You rarely complain about how often I'm gone and you have such a big heart. I can't think of another man that I would love to be with more than you."

"We are here together and have heard the willingness of Trini Kwan and Jason Scott to be joined in marriage. They have come of their free will and in our hearing have made a covenant of faithfulness. They have given and received a ring as the seal of their promises." Trini and Jason held the others hands and just smiled at each other as the wedding continued. Over their heads, Tommy and Kim grinned at each other as they watched their friends. "Therefore, by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Jason barely waited for the finishing statement before he held his wife and did as he was told. There was a roar of applauding and cheering as they did so. Jason smiled at his new wife. They turned and headed down the aisle, the wedding over.

* * *

"That was so beautiful, Trini," Kim told her as there was the hustle and bustle of people getting food and relaxing. They were relaxing for the moment, trying to avoid having to answer some uncomfortable questions. While most of the former Rangers weren't being bothered, most of the non-Ranger guests were interested to find out how long Trini and Jason had known the Space Rangers, who were famous for having revealed themselves. The girls had decided to let the boys handle it.

The other slight problem that some of the guests were having were the inclusion of Conner, Ethan, and Kira into the ceremonies considering they were only supposed to be students. They were facing some difficult questions and neither woman was shocked when Kira and Conner snuck over to them. Trini looked between them. "Where's Ethan?"

"Hiding," Kira answered. "With Billy, Hayley, and Neen."

"They didn't want to answer questions either," Conner grumbled. "I thought this was supposed to be 'Yay Trini and Jason!' time, not 'Bother the teenagers with sixty bazillion questions' time."

"If Ernie was here, we could have him distract them," Kim muttered and Trini nodded. "Damned plane."

"It happens, Kim, but this is getting out of hand," she agreed. "I hope that Jason and Tommy think of something to get us out of this."

Kim gave her a slight look. "Yes, Trini, let's count on the same boys who planned the 'retreat'."

Trini winced at that. "Well, maybe they'll have a better plan this time."

"Does a better plan include starting karaoke?" Conner asked. Kim and Trini both shook their heads while trying to figure out why he'd asked. "Oh. Umm… Is it a half-way decent plan?"

"No," Kim answered. "Karaoke is a bad plan."

"Oh," Conner answered, looking a little uncomfortable. "How about sorta good?"

"Conner, please tell me my husband and his best man are not setting up karaoke to distract our guests," Trini said. Conner shrugged.

"Okay, they're not setting up karaoke over there in order to distract your guests. I'm sure that getting the giant T.V. and microphone are just for looks," he assured her. Kira hit her head as her boyfriend squashed any hope the bride had had.

Trini held her head while Kim just patted her back. She was certain that Zack and Rocky had something to do with this as well and was a little surprised that Conner didn't. Considering that they weren't technical wizards, and that he'd been wanting to hide, Billy was probably involved as well. Never mind the fact that of the original Rangers, only she and Zack had good singing voices and never mind the fact that the majority of the guests didn't, yet would still want a turn. "We can't leave them alone for two seconds, Trini."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Trini began and shared a small smile with Kim. "But I have such a headache."

While the younger two members looked confused, Kim just laughed. "Don't worry, Trini. We can still save this. Kira, take the microphone. If you need a singing partner, enlist Zack and no one but Zack for now. Conner, find Ethan and see if you guys can blow the power to the television. Don't do it yet, wait until I tell you to. Trini, you and I are going to get the only thing that can distract all of our families. The one thing insidious enough to distract a room full of adults for a long time. And while we do that, we'll have the other girls get it set up for the toasts and cake. That should last for a while."

"And when we're done with that?" Trini asked as Kira and Conner obediently ran off.

"Then we have the dance. Then, if the questions come up again or they decide to karaoke, we signal for Conner and Ethan to do their job and the reception is over," Kim answered. Trini thought about it for a minute and then nodded.

"It's crazy enough to work," she agreed. "I'll take Yellows, you take Pinks."

Kim nodded. "And Trini? Remind me to have two weddings."

Her friend nodded. "Promise."

"Kat!" Kimberly called out as Trini called for Aisha.

"What's wrong, Kim?" Kat asked politely and tried not to look too worried. She lowered her voice significantly. "We're not under attack, are we?"

"Worse," Kim answered. "The guys are setting up karaoke and Conner assures me that when you want an attack…"

"You never get one. What do you need me to do?" Kat asked. Kim smiled, happy the other girl was willing to help.

"We need you guys to prepare everything for the toast and cake. We'll keep everyone distracted until then," Kim promised.

"How?" Kat asked. "They've been asking questions all night!"

"Trust me, we've got that covered."

* * *

"First I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side…"

Kim and Trini's plan had gone in effect. Kira had quickly taken the microphone before Jason and Tommy could get their hands on it and the 'insidious' distraction had been followed through. Just as they had predicted, almost everyone was staring at the stage. Apologies were being made to Trini and Jason as many of the other Rangers were using the distraction in order to leave. Both of them understood.

On stage, distracting everyone, was Kira with the attention stealer. "Here comes the chorus, you ready?"

"I will survive! As long as i know how to love, I know I'll stay alive. I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give and I'll survive. I will survive!" Neen sang along. She seemed to be enjoying herself and though her father looked thoroughly worried, the others were just happy she was distracting everyone. The song ended and their audience clapped.

Kim and Trini glanced over at the other girls who quickly nodded, looking a little tired, but proud of themselves. Trini nodded to Jason who quickly took the microphone. "Thank you, Kira. Thank you, Neen. We're ready to cut the cake!"

The group headed back to the tables as Trini and Jason sat down. Kim sat next to Trini and Tommy sat next to Jason. "I get to do my speech first," Tommy reminded him and Jason glared.

"I would like to remind you that you're not married yet. I can still embarrass you," he whispered. Tommy just grinned. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"

"Oh yeah," Tommy answered. The room fell quiet as Tommy stood up. Kim held her head in her hand.

"Oh lord," she muttered as Trini pat her back.

"We all know I've known Trini and Jason for over ten years and they've known each other longer than that. So, with that in mind, Trini… good luck," Tommy began and a good-natured chuckle covered the room for a few seconds. "Jason, you've got a great girl. Don't lose each other. Congratulations, guys."

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Jason whispered to him as everyone toasted. He looked more than a little confused. "Tommy, why wasn't that so bad?"

"I haven't known you long enough," Tommy whispered and motioned to his own girlfriend. Jason looked over at Kim who went from looking a little worried to having an almost evil spark in her eye. "So, I figured I'd let an expert handle it."

"Jason, Trini, congratulations, you guys. You've earned it. Trini, you're the best friend I ever had for so many years and I am so happy you found Jason. I just want to warn you about a few things in case you have a daughter. Don't let him near her Barbie dolls unless your daughter wants them with hair cuts or headless, don't let him near her dates because I'm not sure how you can eviscerate someone with a spoon, but he'll try, and don't let him near an easy bake oven. I swear, it will explode and you will be cleaning it up for days," Kim said and even though he was trying to glare at her, even Jason was laughing at the good natured remarks. "I hope you guys have a long and happy life together. I love you, guys."

* * *

The cake had been cut and Conner was keeping an eye on Kim for any signals she might give him and Ethan. They'd figured out where the fuse box was and were ready when she gave it. For now, though, they were half-way huddled together. "Did you talk to Neen, Ethan?"

"Yep. Fortunately, Billy and Hayley were talking so I was able to ask her about it. She says that she can help," Ethan said and Kira smiled.

"Good, 'cause trying to do that on our own was going to be much harder," she said and Conner shook his head.

"I dunno, Kira. It's still not going to be easy. We have to make sure that they don't find out," he reminded her. "I was thinking that it might be a good idea to get some of the others to help."

"I thought we wanted to do this on our own," Kira argued and Conner nodded.

"The main part we will, but when are we going to have time to build it? Seriously?" He asked and she bit her lip and nodded.

"Right. Ethan?"

"No worries. Hayley has their numbers in the computer. Leave that to me. Hey Conner? What's Kim doing?"

"She's giving us the signal. Kira, we'll see you later assuming we survive," Conner said and Ethan followed.

"To the fuse box," Ethan whispered and Conner shot him a playful look.

"I swear, if you say anything with 'holy' in it…" he started and Ethan grinned.

"I don't have to. You just did," he answered.

Fifteen minutes later, the party ended as the electricity in the building died.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I needed a slight break chapter that still kept the plot moving, so this chapter came out of it. Neen is introduced as her own character at this point. For the rest of this fanfic (unsure on the sequel), this is the biggest part she plays. I'm unsure if anyone has paid attention to Billy's speech patterns and the lack of contractions, but you'll notice that Neen does it too. I did this on purpose since they lived on Aquitar and I figured it would have its own language which probably wouldn't have contractions, so I figured that after a while, Billy would more than likely stop using them. And yes, both of them are bilingual in the Aquitan language.

I'm sorry about Zack not playing a major part in the last chapter. It just didn't work with him playing a major part in it. There were only three shards and it made sense that the "heart" of the team and the key to Tommy's heart would put it back together. That said, he has a bigger part in the rest of the story and in the sequel (Book II?). As does the quests and understanding. They're going to need to deal with any guilt, pain, secrets, or fear they come across.

I figured now was as good of a time as any for Jason and Trini's wedding. And I got to begin the idea of Raptorball. Yay for Raptorball.

As always, thank you for all of the wonderful reviews. I love getting them.


	17. Gaining and Losing

**Chapter 17: Gaining and Losing**

"Guys, just because someone takes your stuff does not mean they're evil," Tommy insisted toward his teens. He cared about them deeply, but some days they came up with the oddest ideas. In this case, Ethan had.

"She didn't just take something. She took my Ruby Dragon card," Ethan informed him. Conner and Kira both shrugged.

"We don't get it either, but we've gotten down that it's Ethan for 'really important' and he misses it," Conner offered as Ethan shot him a look. The soccer player held up his hands. "Hey! I got 'important' down, didn't I? Look, Doctor O, can you get it back before Ethan goes vigilante?"

Tommy sighed. "Guys, I'm a teacher. She's my boss," he reminded them. He immediately felt for them, especially Ethan, at how crestfallen they got and sighed. "But… if you promise to put in some extra training, I'll see what I can do."

Ethan looked at the other two who did not look happy at the prospect of having to do more training especially since Tommy had been working them harder anyway. They had the feeling that was why their teacher had waited until the rest of class left. Kira looked at Conner who sighed. "He'd do it for us if it was my favorite ball or your guitar."

"Damn loyalty," Kira agreed, not any happier than her leader. "Alright, fine. We're in. Extra training for Ethan's card."

Tommy grinned as he headed off, rather proud of their decision. They were really growing up and he couldn't help but think that Rangering had something to do with that. Before, they would have told Ethan he was on his own. Now, they were willing to do something they hated in order to help him out. Still, that meant that he had to get the card back so he didn't have to listen to them complain. He sighed, took a deep breath, and opened the door, thinking of what he was going to say to Principal Randall to get the card back. He opened the door and watched as the principal changed into Elsa. He shook his head. "I knew there was something I didn't like about you."

"I was wondering how long I could pull this off," she scoffed. He shook his head.

"I have to give you credit, we should have seen it," he informed her.

"It's a shame, Tommy. We could have had something," she pushed and Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Dream on," he said and the next thing he knew, she was lunging at him, changing back into the principal form.

"Alright, guys, where's your teacher?" Kim asked as she walked up. The trio glanced up, surprised to see her.

"Kim? What are you doing here?" Conner asked and Kim looked serious.

"I need to talk to him about something important. Do you know where he is?" She asked and Conner shrugged.

"He was going to talk to Principal Randall about Ethan's card," he answered. "That's the last we saw him."

"Thanks, Conner," she said and headed off toward the Principal's office. "Come on."

Ethan looked a little confused. "What's going on?" He asked and Kim offered him a tired smile.

"Let's just say, she's a bigger bitch that we thought," she answered. She ran around the corner and watched as the window broke as Tommy and Principal Randall flew out of it. Kim sighed. "Of for the love of… at a school?!"

The teenagers stared as one of their mentors fought off their principal. The other students had come by to watch as well and Conner wasn't sure how they were supposed to cover this up. He turned to ask Kim, but to make the situation worse for him, she had walked over and yanked up the other woman up by the hair, throwing her aside. She folded her arms and glared. "Stay away from him. He's mine."

"Little bitch," Elsa hissed, still in her principal form. She threw a kick at Kim and was surprised when the woman caught it and threw her back. "So there is more to you than arrows."

"Yeah. I just try not to waste it on scum like you!" She growled. She glanced at Tommy who nodded and their attacks became coordinated. Elsa fought them both off.

"Okay," Conner decided. "Kim and Doctor O have officially lost their minds. We're on our own."

"Shouldn't we tell someone?" Kira asked. "Like Jason or Trini?"

"That'll be a fun phone call. 'Hey Trini? Jason? Kim and Doctor O lost it. Will you teach us now?'" Ethan quipped. "Look, maybe there's a reason for it."

"Like what?" Conner asked and their principal dropped their disguise. "Oh. Never mind. They're fine."

Elsa pulled away as Kim and Tommy looked ready to go again. "Tell the school board that I quit!"

She turned and disappeared. Ethan looked at her. "Don't go," he whined. The other two looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "She still has my card."

Conner nodded and patted his friends' shoulder not knowing what to say to comfort him. Instead, he looked over at their mentors who were dusting themselves off. Both he and Ethan watched as Tommy held up something which Ethan took and quickly put away. "Doctor O, you rock!"

"You're welcome, Ethan," he answered and looked at Conner's scowl. "What? I got the card back."

"How come you can get to fight in front of a bunch of witnesses and I can't?" He asked. "That would have made my life so much easier when it came to Derrick and Trent but no…"

Tommy's face paled as Kim grinned. "Because he was defending his students from a vicious killer," she answered. "At least, that's what we're going to tell the school board so that they don't fire him."

Tommy relaxed and turned to his girlfriend in confusion. "Kim, what are you doing here anyway?" He asked.

"We got something from an old friend of yours that I thought was important." She looked at him completely seriously, though Conner could tell she was trying not to smile. "Tommy, did you know that Principal Randall is Elsa?"

He just stared at her.

* * *

"We got the disk this morning," Hayley explained, setting it up for the others to see. "It obviously from Mercer considering that he stars in it. I think he went through hell trying to make it though."

"Well, yeah," Kim agreed, resting against the desk. "We're just lucky it wasn't destroyed. You got it, Hayley?"

She was answered when the video began to play.

_Anton Mercer sat at his desk, one hand on his head and the other shaking. He looked sick and definitely like he was trying to repress everything. "Thomas, I hope this gets to you. As you know, our experiments were… stolen, changed. What I didn't tell you… I changed. There's not a lot of time. He's coming. Listen to me… the principal… is Elsa… spy on you… Zeltrax… is Smitty… vengeance…"_

_He paused and started to fall back, but forced himself forward. He looked determined. Sweat poured down his face and he looked haggard, but he tried to continue as he got a slight second wind. "I… encoded some of the… information onto the disk. That friend of yours… Hayley… she can… handle it. Experiment… went wrong… changing… Jekyll/Hyde. So sorry… for everything… Please… help Trent… I wish… I wish things… had gone… differently…"_

_"Sander!" He called out. "Take this… to Thomas Oliver… And Sander? Until… I call you… back… you're on… paid …vacation."_

_"Yes, Sir."_

"It stops there," Hayley explained. "Though he obviously put in the information a little at a time."

"I think that's why it got here so late in the game. He's finally able to start fighting it," Kim explained. "Probably was able to start when Trent went nuts."

"So, this runs in the family?" Conner asked. "Oh this is great. If I kill Trent, Daddy will come after me. You know that fear thing? Kicking in!"

Tommy gave him a sly smile. "Then it's a good thing you have extra practice, isn't it?"

Conner groaned. "Yep. Today sucks. Wait, can we do the new training too?"

Both Ethan and Kira looked just as hopeful. For as much as Kira had rolled her eyes, she had to admit it was an enjoyable game. Especially since Zack had helped them work out the details before he had to leave for a bit. Tommy sighed. "Fine."

"I want to play," Kim said, pretending to pout. "You never let me play!"

"You don't need to play, Kim. It's an exercise, remember?" He pushed. She just folded her arms and stuck out her lip which caused the other Rangers to giggle. Even Hayley looked amused.

"Come on, Tommy. You'll give in eventually anyway," Hayley teased.

"Fine. But I'm going first. And you have to take a raptor from the losing side," he said and Kim grinned, kissing him as she headed out. Conner looked at his teacher.

"Please tell me you were faking thinking about it," he said and Tommy nodded.

"It's a game. A weird game, but we're not normal people," he assured the other. "So, what are the teams?"

"I'll take Kira and you take Ethan. We did it the other way last time and they complain when we team up, Doctor O," Conner decided. The science teacher chuckled.

"Gee, I wonder why."

It was an easy set-up. There were four baskets in play, two of which were the main baskets. One for each side like in basketball. The other two were on the sides and were only worth a point instead of two. While the raptor was running, the rider could only hold onto the ball for five seconds. If the raptor was stopped, the rider could hold onto it indefinitely but could not move until they got rid of the ball again. The raptors could bump into each other, but biting and scratching was not allowed. Pulling a rider off the raptor was not allowed. Attacking spectators was not allowed. Jumping over each other was legal and the boards that held the baskets had been rebuilt in order to hold the raptors weight if one chose to jump onto it while the rider dropped the ball in. This too was legal and was the equivalent of a slam dunk. Games lasted for thirty minutes of two halves, fifteen minutes each. Finally, it was cheating to have Red chirp for the others to stop so that his rider could make a basket. Though, to be fair to Conner, it was Red's idea and he was acting on his own accord.

The game continued on for a while until the raptors decided they were done. Besides for being a great game that they could introduce at Ranger reunions, it was a good exercise for both raptor and rider. It helped them work as a team and helped the raptors with agility. Afterward, they started into their group training.

Conner was definitely getting better at blocking them and still moving which he was going to have to do. Still, there was a definite unfair shift in powers between Conner and Trent. Conner's powers worked in conjunction with the others. Ethan and Conner, for instance, or Kira and Conner were easily as strong if not stronger than Trent. If Ethan was concentrating on Conner and Conner accepted it, he was just as strong. However, one on one, Trent had the stronger power because his worked alone. On the field, it was a deadly disadvantage.

Whenever possible, Conner had one of his teammates close by so that Trent couldn't catch him unawares. For that matter, the three of them had started to stay closer to each other for their own safety. Hayley was working on ways to keep them safe at home with Billy's help and even Neen had tried to help. Though her version of helping was sneaking up behind and yelling "Got you!" at the top of her lungs. It had started as "Apprehended", but the teenagers were teaching her slang anyway and had convinced her to yell "got you" instead. Conner was getting better as catching her which was helpful considering if Tommy heard the girl's cry, Conner would give a lecture and more training for being outsmarted by a kid.

"Are we done yet?" Conner whined. "I mean, I know we agreed to it, but haven't we done enough today?"

Tommy sighed, but nodded. He figured he was only going to get so much out of them today and it probably didn't help that no one had had time to absorb the events that had occurred. "Yes, we're done."

The teenagers rushed back to the house and Kim laughed. "That's more than I expected," she joked. "How did you get them out here?"

"Elsa took Ethan's card. If I got the card back, they promised to train," he answered. "It seemed like a good deal to me."

Kim nodded and sighed as she sat down. "You know, we really should have seen this one coming."

"Randall is Elsa?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No. Mercer is Mesagog. Think about it, Tommy. He's been acting differently since he got back and we thought he died. Not only that, but he showed back up at about the same time Mesagog did. You guys worked on this together. Did you know he was testing it on himself?" She asked and he shook his head.

"No, I would have tried to stop him," Tommy answered. "God, this is…"

Kim listened to the pause and understood what he meant, even if he couldn't say it. "Horrible, but kind of a relief?"

He glanced at her and nodded. "Part of me is happy that Mercer is Mesagog and that makes me feel disgusted with myself, Kim. He was a mentor to me and part of me feels happy that he's part dinosaur."

"It's because that means the way he treated you wasn't him," Kim said. "I know, I feel the same way. He wasn't my mentor, but I was around enough and he was nice to me."

"He liked you. Well, he liked you when you weren't picking up things that were worth 10,000 dollars," he teased. She looked a little sheepish.

"It was pretty. I wanted to see it closer," she answered. "I didn't know it was worth so much. Besides, he didn't throw me out for it. I just got lectured. 'Ms. Hart, we need to have a chat. Sit.'"

"One of the greatest days in my life," Tommy joked. "Seriously, he constantly had us going in and out of there. And then there was Hayley on top of it."

"That's what he gets for having taken an interest in you in college. If he would have waited, we would have been over less," she said happily and Tommy gave her a look. "Okay, a little less… You said he liked me!"

"He did," Tommy assured her. "And now that we know what's wrong with him, he probably still does."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Same for you. And you know he'll probably still be able to make us feel like were college kids again."

Tommy laughed and then sobered up. "If he lives through this. It isn't like just being evil, Kim, not that we've had any luck with fixing that either right now anyway. It was like he'd accepted that we would probably have to kill him."

Kim looked at him and nodded slowly. Both of them understood the severity of the situation. "If we can, we'll save him," she said. "But if it comes down to it, for either him or Trent…"

"We'll finish it," Tommy promised. "I don't think the kids will have a problem with that."

"That's what worries me."

* * *

"Neen, don't touch that!" Hayley shouted as the small girl reached for the blender. She immediately stopped and stood perfectly still until the café owner reached her. Hayley sighed, though she couldn't fault the girl. She was being half-way good, but she was also six and curious about everything. This was the third time in ten minutes that she'd had to stop the girl. Still, at least she stopped at the first request instead of deciding to continue trying until Hayley got there.

"Apologies, Hayley," she said earnestly. "I did not mean to cause trouble."

Hayley sighed and handed out the drinks, silently whispering a thanks that it was a slow day. "I know, Neen. I thought you were watching T.V."

Neen looked a little ashamed of herself as she looked back at Hayley. "It is not real."

"No, so…" Hayley started, but quickly caught on and sighed. "Everything is so new so you'd rather look at it?"

"Aff… Yeah," she answered, using some of the slang that the others had taught her. "If Papa and I return home, I want to have seen more."

"Well, I know it's not the same, but… Ethan! Can you take Neen to the back please?" Hayley asked, happy to help the girl and get some peace and quiet for two minutes. She didn't care if Billy was trying to decode everything and needed to be able to concentrate fully, this was the last time she baby-sat. Once Ethan was over, she leaned over to him. "Show her the computer and let her see what she wants, okay?"

"Got it, Hayley," Ethan said, taking the girl's hand. Once they were in the other room, Ethan grinned at Neen. "Good job!"

"Thank you, Ethan," she said proudly. "Can I watch?"

"Of course. Couldn't have gotten this far without you. I had no idea how we were going to get a hold of some of the other Rangers without anyone seeing until Kira thought this up," Ethan said, messing with the computer. "She's good."

"Affirmative," Neen agreed and scrunched her nose up. "I mean, yeah."

Ethan smiled at her and started to mess around with the computer, waiting until Andros' face came up. "Andros?"

"Ethan, right?" The other asked. "How can I help you?"

"Well, we want to give the older Rangers a surprise, but we need your help. Well, yours and everyone else who wasn't an original Ranger," Ethan said. Andros nodded and shrugged.

"What do you need us to do?" He asked.

Ethan just grinned.

* * *

"He looks exhausted." Kira glanced up at Kim as the older woman spoke. Kira had been watching Conner try the same thing for over an hour and had helped on some occasions, but Kim was right. He did look exhausted and he didn't look ready to drop it. "Have you tried to get him to quit?"

"Three times," Kira answered. "But I'm thinking that unless I go and throw myself in mortal danger, he's going to keep doing it. How was work?"

"I know how that is. I swear I felt like that a lot with Tommy when we were young and, you know, a week ago," Kim joked. "Work was fine. It was a slow day. How was school? I saw Ethan but…"

"Same old, same old," Kira answered and glanced at her mentor. "So, I know who Principal Randall and Elsa are, I know who Mesagog and Zeltrax are, but I don't know much about Dr. Mercer other than he's Trent's dad and who's Smitty?"

"Well, Dr. Mercer, Tommy, and Smitty did some of the dig sites together. If at all possible, I helped, but they were more of the three who did it. There was a job for Mercer Industries that came up and Tommy and him were at odds for it. Dr. Mercer chose Tommy and Smitty went to a different company. He died on a dig a while later. To be honest, I don't see much of a change between Zeltrax and Smitty. He was always coming on to me and was just kind of an ass. I'm guessing that's why Dr. Mercer chose Tommy instead. That and Tommy is good at what he does."

"What about Dr. Mercer?" Kira asked and Kim sighed.

"That was another story. He was a huge mentor to Tommy and was pretty nice to me and Hayley, when she came, too. I liked him," Kim answered and looked a little sad. "I'm just hoping we're able to save him and his son."

Kira nodded. "Can you tell me about some of the times you guys had?"

Kim thought for a minute and then obliged.

_"I thought you were staying in Angel Grove," Tommy groaned and Kim grinned at him._

_"Aren't surprises fun?" She asked and Tommy glared at her._

_"No. Hayley, did you know she was coming?" Tommy asked and the girl scowled at him._

_"Yes and I told you that three times. It's not my fault you didn't listen. She's here for the dig. Dr. Mercer agreed to take her too so that she didn't have to spend the money to fly there," Hayley explained. She rolled her eyes and looked at Kim. "Was he always like this?"_

_"Yep," Kim answered. "In one ear and out the other, Hayley."_

_Hayley shook her head. "Well, have fun," she decided. "I did my job. I dragged Tommy here on time."_

_Kim laughed at that. "Hayley, you're a miracle worker," she joked and the younger woman smiled back at her before she left promising to catch up with Kim once they got back. Kim began to look all around the large manor as they waited. "Wow. There are a lot of cool things here."_

_"Yeah, well…" Tommy groaned and Kim glanced over at him._

_"Why are you Mr. Grumpy anyway?" She asked._

_"I don't know. Maybe because my mentor is bringing my ex-girlfriend with us on this trip. That might have something to do with it," Tommy groaned. "Why did he agree to bring you?"_

_"Because I'm helpful," she answered. "And persistent. And I've already had the training. That's what he said anyway. Oh how pretty!"_

_Tommy glanced over and saw her reach for the pterodactyl statuette on one of the shelves. He nearly called out when he saw her pick it up, but he was afraid she would drop it. His eyes widened further, however, when he saw a hand fall on her, grabbing her wrist and taking the item from her. "Tommy, you shouldn't let your ex-girlfriend touch important things like that. She might break it."_

_Tommy forced a smile. "I think she was being careful. I thought you were meeting us there, Smitty."_

_"I was, but I was in town anyway and I heard the Kim was coming with," he answered, glancing her way and smirking. "So, I thought I'd stop by to see how she was. Besides, I'll need to move here when I get the job."_

_"If," Kim brought up, gently yet forcefully taking the pterodactyl back and ignoring the rest of his speech. "Tommy's up for it too."_

_"Mmm," he answered, leaning in closer to her. "I've been in the field longer. I think I have a better chance."_

_"I think you both have an equal chance," a voice called out. All three of them turned around to face Dr. Mercer who was standing in the doorway looking none too pleased with the situation. "Terrence, please wait outside. We will be there shortly."_

_Smitty smirked at Tommy and Kim knowing that he was in the least amount of trouble, but did as he was told without saying anything. Tommy tried not to look nervous at the older man's entrance and he always wanted to laugh at himself when he felt that way. He'd faced several different psychopaths who wanted to take over the world without breaking a sweat, but he felt like a nervous wreck in Dr. Mercer's presence. "Sorry, Anton."_

_He nodded once to the younger man before turning to Kim holding his hand out. She quickly placed the pterodactyl in his hand and put her hands behind her back. He looked at her and motioned to the couch. "Ms. Hart, we need to have a chat. Sit."_

_Kim did as she was told. She really wanted to go. Like the rest of her former teammates, being a Ranger had caused them to become nearly obsessed with dinosaurs at times. It wasn't too recognizable but they were there: Tommy's models, Zack's toys, Kim's stuffed animals, Trini's art, and Jason's collection of movies and books. Even Billy had taken the equivalent of research books with him. She'd been looking forward to this and ruined it in less than a minute. Tommy, not wanting to make it worse for her, looked at Mercer. "Should I wait outside too?"_

_"No," Mercer answered. "Go make sure Sander has everything under control."_

_Tommy nodded. "Okay." He rushed out leaving his mentor and one of his best friends behind._

_Mercer was quiet for a minute which Kim didn't interrupt. Finally, he spoke. "Do you touch things in others' houses or am I just lucky? You're an adult, a normally intelligent and well-behaved young woman. I'm surprised."_

_Kim gulped a bit. "No, I, umm, don't usually and I meant to just look but I, uh…"_

_He looked relatively calm which made it worse. "Did you know it was worth 10,000 dollars?" When her eyes widened, he nodded. "I didn't think so. I will only warn you once and then I will not allow you here again. Do not touch anything on the walls."_

_"Yes, sir," she said quietly. "Sorry, Dr. Mercer."_

_"Now that that unpleasantness is out of the way, are you ready to go?" He asked and her eyes lit up as she nodded, though tentatively. He gave her a quick smile. "Someone needs to make sure those two don't kill each other. Besides, you seem eager to come. I could use the enthusiasm. Come along, Ms. Hart. Thomas! We're leaving."_

Kim finished looking more than a little embarrassed as Kira laughed. "I didn't think that you'd tell one where you got in trouble!"

"I thought it might be a good change of pace," she joked. "Besides, it showed the difference between them."

"True," Kira said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the only thing that came out was "Duck!"

Kim did as Kira suggested and leapt on the ground as power arrows soared over her head. Kira had done the same, though she leapt back up. "Dino Thunder power up!"

Conner glanced over and quickly did the same as Kira came to him side. "I'll back you up the best I can, Conner," she whispered and he nodded.

"Just try to counter what he does," Conner suggested and turned to the white Ranger. "You sure you're ready for this?"

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time, red Ranger," Trent answered. Conner nodded and rushed at him. The fight had begun.

* * *

Kim watched and kept an eye on things. Still, the one thing that bothered her was the lack of help Trent had. She hadn't expected him to use it against Conner since he wanted to face him, but Kira was around and there wasn't anything for her to fight. In fact, other than Trent, there wasn't anyone at all. Her intuition went wild and she reached onto her wrist and pressed the communicator to her mouth. "Tommy, Conner's got trouble. Get to the training spot with Ethan. Quick!"

She finished and looked at Kira, making sure that the girl was concentrating on other things than just Trent and Conner. Deciding that she was, Kim began to glance around for trouble, knowing it had to be nearby. Seeing nothing, she sighed and kept an eye on the fight wondering if maybe things were just working out in their favor. So far, Conner was winning after all. "You know, two on one really wasn't fair."

Kim recognized Elsa's voice and whipped her head around just into for Elsa's fist to connect with it. Then came the darkness.

* * *

Conner ducked and swerved around Trent's blows, halfway impressed at the job he was doing. Even if Kira was cancelling the other boy out, he was still doing a pretty good job of this. He swung a kick under Trent, knocking the other off balance. He grinned at that and felt his power rise as the other Rangers arrived. Trent had made the rules earlier in the game and that meant that he was allowed to use the strength the others gave him. Still, as he'd said before, he didn't want to do this with all of them and once Trent stopped trying to affect his powers, the others backed off completely as well.

He pulled out his staff to meet Trent's dagger and the two clashed against each other. They parried and attacked, each keeping the other at bay without either side winning. Conner's pride swelled and he could practically hear the dinosaur king roaring within him. He had the feeling that neither side would be able to win this and that was fine with him. He reached out with his own crystal toward Trent's to make sure that Trent wasn't trying anything and heard the Dragozord protest as if it were trapped.

He pushed away and made his way back toward Kira and the others. With a small movement of his hand, they followed and stood behind him. Trent stood a little ways a way, obviously not happy with the way that everything was turning out but feeling that Conner wasn't trying to cheat. He took the moment to regain his power and prepare to tear apart the red Ranger when he fought back. Kira moved her head to the side. "I thought you wanted to do this on your own, Conner."

"I can take him," Conner answered. "I know that. But…"

"But what?" Ethan asked and Conner sighed.

"I think I know a way to save him," Conner answered. He could feel the shock and surprise running off the rest of the team and felt a little insulted. "Hey, if Dr. Mercer was man enough to make sure we got that tape, then I can be man enough to help save Trent no matter what I feel about him."

"We're right behind you," Tommy answered and Conner could feel the pride in his voice. He couldn't help but to feel even better with that behind him. He hated to admit it, but he really liked it when he had Kim and Doctor O's approval.

"Okay, wait until I knock him back again. Then start giving me power. One at a time," Conner instructed. "I hope this works."

"It will." It was all Ethan said, but it was enough. With the rest of his team behind him, he turned back to Trent.

"Hey! Birdbrain! Let's finish this!" He yelled. The two went back at each other and Conner dodged and parried, yet Trent still wasn't doing much better. Conner picked up the staff and moved toward him, but the white Ranger took advantage of the situation and took control of the red Ranger's abilities. His speed was failing him and he was feeling tired and dizzy already. He stopped himself from falling to the ground and took his staff, quickly knocking Trent's feet out from under him. His strength started to return and he recognized Kira's power backing him up. In his mind, he could almost see the Pterodactyl fly around the Tyrannosaur's head before landing near him, a slight affectionate nudge before getting back to work. Conner swung his staff and knocked Trent's weapon out of his hand and put the staff to his neck. Trent started to move, but Conner put it in deeper.

"Finish it," Trent finally said and Conner smiled within his helmet.

"I am," he answered. He took the two powers and dug them toward the white gem. The white gem fought against him and it was taking all that Conner had to keep the yellow and red powers going as the white used its own power to try to negate them. Both he and Trent were yelling in pain by this point, but luckily for Conner, he felt Ethan lending his own strength. The white power was putting up all that it had, which the most powerful part of it being evil was placed on the front against the other powers. Conner was holding it, but he needed the last bit of power. He need Doctor O's strength and trust to win this. He held on and felt the black power slowly enter into his own gem. The extra strength was all that was needed and the dark shield cracked. There was a flash of light and all five of the dinosaurs that the gems were based off of cried out as the powers were flying back into the gems.

All of the Rangers were in their human form again and on the ground. Their eyes hurt from the flash and everything that had happened was taking its toll on them. None of them really wanted to get up as the pain increased. Finally, Trent started to get up, but he felt a hand hold him down. He glanced up to see Conner who looked uncharacteristically serious and laying next to him as he kept the other down. Trent moved to argue, but stopped. "So, how are we going to prove I'm okay?"

Conner looked at him and reached out, though tiredly with his own gem. The red gem touched the white one and there was no protest, no fear, though not much help either like the others. That wasn't Trent's fault. That was because the other colors of the gems and the white one weren't made to work with the others. At least, not in any way they knew of. Conner pulled himself up and wasn't surprised when Trent stayed down. The red Ranger sighed and reached down for him. "Welcome to the Rangers. You better not run away again."

"Uh, thanks," Trent answered. Both boys had a tentative look about them as if they wanted to start beating each right there and then, but neither did. Tommy and the others came over and Tommy looked at Conner.

"You sure?" He asked and Conner held up his wrist.

"No, but it is and I think that if I can't trust the gem, then I can't trust anything," he answered. "So, let's go home."

Kira nodded and paused remembering that she and Conner hadn't been alone when the whole mess started. "Hey, Kim, you coming?" When Kim didn't answer, she turned around to see that the female mentor wasn't there.

Tommy looked confused. "Kim was still here? I thought she was contacting us from the house."

"You didn't see her?" Kira asked, beginning to get worried. "She was standing next to me until the fight."

Tommy turned to his wrist. "Kim? Kim, come in. Kim?"

When no one answered, he motioned for the others to try, but none of them could reach her either. Conner looked at Tommy. "Bad, very bad feelings here."

Tommy nodded. "There's nothing we can do here and we're all still tired. Let's get back."

Reluctantly, they followed hoping that Hayley or Billy would have a clue of what's going on.

* * *

Kim screamed in anger as they Tyrannodrones dragged her. Elsa winced a bit at the noise and groaned when she realized that her prisoner was awake. "Why me? Why always me?! There are five, count them, five former Rangers other than me! Okay, Tommy's a Ranger now, but every time you guys have a plan, I get dragged in! Then you get mad at _me_ when I do something useful. Like cut off an ear!"

Zeltrax stood in the doorway and looked at Elsa. "How long have you had to listen to her?"

"That last bit. I knocked her out," Elsa answered. Zeltrax chuckled.

"I can see why. Mesagog wants to see her," he let her know. Elsa nodded and sighed, but motioned for the Drones to follow. Kim was kicking, biting, screaming, and struggling the entire way there. By the time they got there, one of the Tyrannodrones was limping and the other wasn't in much better shape. They literally threw her in front of Mesagog while Elsa watched the door.

Kim pulled herself up into a sitting position, wanting to stand, but guessing that was unadvisable at the moment. "You destroyed my house," she informed him and gave a sly smile. "Do you destroy others' houses or am I just lucky?"

"Clever, Ms. Hart," Mesagog answered though he didn't act like it was. Kim had to wonder if his human side was already dead.

"So, why am I alive?" She asked. "Not that I'm complaining. Just curious."

"I don't need you," he answered. "I need the gems."

"Ah. Bait. I hate being bait," she informed him folding her arms. He acted like he didn't hear her. Instead, he headed over to where potion was waiting for him. The Tyrannodrones handed him a beaker with red liquid in it. "What's that?"

"I have one weakness," he told her calmly, deciding to answer this time. "In order to succeed, I must make sure that Anton Mercer never returns."

"No!" Kim screeched, but he drank the potion after speaking. She pulled herself off the ground, glancing back at the door to see Elsa was still there. Horrified, she watched as Mesagog shifted back and forth between the dinosaur form and Mercer's form. Finally, they separated and Mercer fell to his knees. Using her own agility and speed, she caught him before he hit the ground, ending with her on the floor as well though neither was hurt. Mesagog kneeled down in front of them without Kim being able to really move since she was holding the wealthy man's weight.

"You shouldn't have betrayed me," he told the limp form. He glanced at Kim and made a noise at her surprise. "Yes, I know the tape he sent you. But it will help me, not you."

"Yeah? I bet you're wrong," she argued, but Mesagog didn't bother to argue.

"Get them out of my sight. I have no use for them right now," Mesagog hissed. Elsa nodded and motioned to the Tyrannodrones, some of which grabbing her and others grabbing Mercer. Kim struggled, but it was no use. Elsa had made sure that it wasn't the same Drones she's fought against before. Elsa walked down the corridor, past various doors and finally opened one. She nodded to herself and then pointed at the room. The Tyrannodrones threw their prisoners in and Elsa locked the door after.

It was dark and definitely cold. There wasn't anything in the room other than the metal floor and Kim shivered as she made sure that they were on the other side of the room, away from the door for right now. She had lost her communicator at some point when she was unconscious and even if she had it, it wouldn't have been of much use. Her friends weren't stupid; they had to have realized where she was.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Ms. Hart."

Kim jumped a bit at the voice before realizing that Mercer was coming through the shock and the cold floor wasn't helping. She glanced in the direction he was in and sighed. "I know, Dr. Mercer. So is Tommy," she answered and tried to joke. "But you guys are not allowed to work on any more projects together unless it's a dig."

"Done," Mercer answered, accepting the attempt at a lighter mood. They were both quiet again as Kim thought hard. She needed to get them out of here before things got worse, but she didn't have much of a plan. Considering that it would take Billy and Hayley a little time to finish getting everything figured out, she had some time to figure out how to get them out of here. She just hoped that this all ended up with everyone good living.

* * *

"Now have you found her?" Conner asked again, kicking his soccer ball between his feet quietly. Hayley glanced up at him, annoyance in her eyes.

"Conner, I'd like to remind you that I fix everything that you break," she snapped, leaving an underlying threat. Conner stayed quiet for a minute and sighed. Kira and Ethan had both already pushed their limits and Tommy hadn't been allowed in the Lab in the first place when they'd found out since they knew he'd be a distraction. She'd hoped that the others would be better, but she'd been mistaken. Conner looked at the last member of their little group and nodded.

"Papa?" Neen asked and Billy closed his eyes, hoping she wouldn't ask.

"What is it, Neen?" He said.

"Have you determined where Aunt Kimberly is?" Neen asked. Both genius' threw up their hands and turned to the small group.

"Go play," they both said together. "Out!"

Billy walked them to the door. Once they were on the other side of it, Conner turned to him. "Is that a no?" The door slammed in his face. "Guess so. Hey, Doctor O. We got kicked out. How's Trent?"

"Feeling guilty over everything and I think he just wants it to be over," Tommy answered, having been the one to talk to him. It made the most sense considering Tommy had been evil before. He glanced at Neen, who followed the silent command and raced up the stairs to stay out of the bigger people's conversation. "I just spent the last fifteen minutes explaining why he couldn't quit. I think he understands now, but it isn't going to be easy to keep him involved."

"That's kind of understandable," Kira said softly. "I mean, yeah he was evil, but everything still happened. He still hurt people, his dad is Mesagog, his ear got cut off… Maybe we should just let him go."

"We can't," Tommy answered. "One, he needs us and two, we need him."

"As long as he doesn't turn his back on us, Doctor O is right," Conner agreed, though somewhat reluctantly. "Look, I don't like him, but he's still our teammate now. If he still wants to leave after, we won't stop him. Hell, I'll help him pack. But for now we need for him to stay."

Kira let him wrap his arms around her as he said it. Both Ethan and Kira knew that while he was trying to fight it, Trent being back had placed Conner into a situation where he was worried about losing Kira to the other Ranger. Trent came around the corner and Conner left Kira, heading toward the white Ranger. "Hey Conner," Trent said quietly. Conner looked him squarely in the eyes before glancing at the others. Realizing what he was doing, the others, even Doctor O, left to let them talk.

"I heard you wanted to leave," he said and Trent shrugged.

"I don't belong here," he answered. "I'm not going to run away without telling you, but you can't honestly think that it's better for me to be here."

"I'll tell you what I know, Trent. You were an ass, you were evil, and you were my worst enemy when you evil, but I think I still respected you more then because you weren't willing to quit. We worked our asses off to help you and you're going to run away? We lost Kim because of you. Now, you might not care about that, but I do. And what about your father? Are you just going to abandon him too?" Conner demanded. "Grow a spine and get in the game. You don't get to pick anymore and when this is over, you can get the hell out of Reefside and never come back for all I care. But right now, you're helping."

"But Conner…" Trent started as Conner shook his head.

"No buts," Conner said and started to follow his other teammates.

"Didn't you have a choice?" Conner stopped at the question and spun around.

"Yes, I did. But I wasn't evil and I chose to stay," he answered. "I don't care that you were evil when you hurt everyone, you have a chance to make up for that not. So do it."

With that, he left Trent there by himself as he joined the rest of his teammates. He knew he'd been hard on Trent, but right then he didn't care. He cared about ending the war and if he had to fight him the whole way, Trent was going to help.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And we're heading into the final chapters before beginning the new one. I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted Trent to be good again and decided for it. Though it did bother me in the series that he was willing to run at one point, but when he turned good again, he goes to them to want to join them. Daddy's wishes or not, I had a hard time with that. So, he's obviously not like that here.

Raptorball has been created. While not really in the next few chapters, it will return more in the sequel.

First of all, thank you for all of the reviews. I loved reading through them. However, equally important to me, you guys have given me over 100 reviews! So, as a way of saying thank you, if you have a one shot idea you want to see for this fanfic, leave it in a review or send me a message of what you'd like to see and I'll write it. It's the best way I can think of to say thank you!


	18. Trust and Rescue

**Chapter 18: Trust and Rescue**

Trent hadn't returned. She'd gotten that much from what little she'd been able to hear when the Tyrannodrones gave them water. They wanted her alive for now and while they hadn't given her food, she'd been given some water periodically which she had shared with Dr. Mercer. The lack of food was starting to get to her and she knew that even if they needed her alive, they didn't need her healthy. Being in the dark room was starting to take its toll on her as well since she didn't know how many days she'd been there and something had crawled over her twice. She was trying not to think about what it was and attempted to keep herself distracted. While near the door at the moment, Kim and Mercer did often stay by each other in order to help in that distraction. Both of the occupants used sound to find each other, or rather she used it to find him so he didn't have to get up.

Still, she'd been able to discern various things. She'd figured out that Trent wasn't dead or they would have been a lot calmer which, she hoped, meant that the others had found a way to save him. She leaned against the wall and tried to relax a bit. They'd been left relatively untouched for a small blessing, even if she was hungry and tired. Not for the first time, she was interrupted by the other's voice. "You're being quiet again, Ms. Hart."

She smiled in his general direction. She couldn't blame him for worrying when she was quiet since the rest of the time she was often talking her head off to keep herself feeling better. Besides, he'd known her when she was younger and she'd been more of a chatterbox then. She was able to move around better than him since he was still weaker from the lack of food they were both getting and the split from Mesagog. It was unadvisable for him to try to crawl around to make sure she was alive. Still she wasn't healthy at this point and she was pretty much the only way he knew what was going on at the moment. "I'm just trying to figure out everything that's going on. Sorry, Doctor."

"Will you at least just call me Mercer?" He asked tiredly. He'd been trying to convince her to call him Anton for the time they'd been there, but considering that he wasn't willing to turn around and call her Kim, she'd refused. Besides, as she'd brought up, old habits died hard. She thought about it for a minute, along with everything the man had been through, and sighed.

"Alright. Fair enough," she answered. "You doing okay, Mercer?"

He didn't answer right away and she started to worry before he finally spoke. "I've been better, Ms. Hart."

Realizing the absurdity of the question a few minutes too late, she was glad that the darkness hid her very pronounced blush. She quickly changed the subject. "I think they saved Trent."

That had her companion's full attention. "Why do you say that?"

"He hasn't gotten back and they're not acting like he's dead. They're angry. Elsa and Zeltrax wouldn't be angry at all if Trent died and Mesagog would be more annoyed that he lost a warrior he didn't get to kill," she answered. "Oddly enough, when you were a Ranger or connected with the Rangers as long as I have, you learn how to read people."

"I see," came the response. Kim couldn't blame him for not getting too excited. Like her, he realized that it was only a theory and while it was more than likely right, they still couldn't be sure. The room was overcome with silence again. "Well then, he can take over the business."

"Mercer! We're going to get out of here!" Kim said, a little shocked by his surrendering attitude. He sighed.

"I don't believe I need to sugarcoat things for you, Ms. Hart. You said that how many days ago and yet we are still here," he informed her. "I'm afraid that I have given up on your being able to get us out of here for the moment and I would rather spend the rest of my life without false hope."

"It's not false," she snapped. "It's just… delayed."

"Perhaps it should find another flight then," Mercer calmly answered. Kim couldn't help but to laugh at the answer. "Do you actually have a plan this time?"

"Yeah. Beat the crap out of my boyfriend for leaving me here so long," she answered.

"You're used to him doing that," Mercer informed her and even though he couldn't see it, she shrugged.

"Probably, but I'm running out of ideas on how to do it myself. I took out the Tyrannodrones the first day and we didn't make it halfway down the hall before Zeltrax had a sword at my throat. So, now there are more guards. Picking the lock angered Elsa and I still have bruises from that. So, now there's another lock that I can't pick. Plus I don't have bobby pins anymore. Zeltrax laughed at me when I tried to flirt the way out. Elsa didn't buy I was bisexual so that's out. I really don't think they care if I die. So unless they unlock the door and tell me to get out, I think we're stuck for the moment," she answered.

"Which brings us back to my plan of enjoying the rest of my life without false hope," Mercer answered. Just as he finished, the door slammed open. The bright light caused both of the occupants to wince from the pain the brightness caused. Elsa stood in the doorway.

"Get out," she told them. Mercer glanced at Kim who was helping to hold him up.

"Remind me not to doubt you," he said softly. She gave a half-smile.

"Don't be silly, Mercer. If I was really smart, I would have finished the sentence with us being back at the house," she answered.

"I'll take what I can get," Mercer told her and they walked out the door.

* * *

"Chain her," Mesagog commanded as they were dragged in. She watched as Mercer was moved to a different location from her. Without Mercer, Kim was able to do more, but she still hadn't had much to eat and she still wasn't sure how long she'd been without it. She put up a fight, but it was nothing compared to when she'd first been dragged in. She struggled against the chains a bit, as she tried to escape. Mercer wasn't saying a word and she wasn't sure what Mesagog was doing to him. Zeltrax left them as Elsa turned to Mesagog.

"You wanted to see me as well, Milord?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yes, Elsa. I have finished it," he told her and she smiled in appreciation.

"The transfiguration beam?" She asked excitedly, enjoying the attention he was paying to her.

"Yessss," he answered, almost affectionately though to what, Kim wasn't sure. At this point, she was just trying to catch any bit of information she could get.

"It's a thing of wonder but will you be able to supply it with enough power?" She asked and Mesagog nodded.

"Yessss, once I get those dino gems," he answered. Kim struggled harder and Mesagog glanced her way. "I'd suggest you hush, Ms. Hart."

"I'd suggest you go jump off a cliff," she answered. She was waiting for it, believing that this was why Mesagog had kept her alive as long as he had. While not as much power as the gems laid within her, she still had a little Power left from being a Ranger. All former Rangers did. Still, he ignored her.

"To be sure," Mesagog continued, as he answered Elsa instead, moving away from Kim toward Elsa. "I'll start with the power I've given you."

Kim's eyes widened as Elsa was dragged over to the table and chained down. She was going to find out exactly what a life extractor did whether she wanted to or not. She struggled in her chains as he finished, realizing that Mesagog didn't need Elsa, but he still needed Kim as bait. The Rangers wouldn't come if they found out she was dead. Elsa was a luxury for Mesagog right now, not a necessity. Elsa was glaring up at him and Kim was unsure of what to do. She was failing someone, even if they were the reason she was here. The hero side of her had kicked in and her honor was screaming that this was wrong, that Elsa shouldn't die on a table helpless. Yet, there was nothing Kim could do or offer that Mesagog didn't already have control over. The dinosaur looked down at his former general. "I'll miss you, Elsa."

"Please! Don't!" Elsa begged, struggling.

"Mesagog! Stop it!" Kim joined her in pleading, but the dinosaur ignored them both.

"Try not to move," he ordered as he positioned it. "Activate."

She screamed and shook. Kim felt herself screaming along with the woman and even after there was finally nothing left of Elsa on the table. The feeling of failure overtook Kim and she felt the strain of the last couple of day mix with it. Mesagog walked over to her and violently lifted her chin. She looked back at him and growled out one word. "Monster."

"It's only a matter of time before I get the other gems. Then, I can dispose of you," he hissed and dropped her chin. He headed out of the room and Kim heard nothing else but her own quiet cries. Finally alone, she felt more scared than she had in a long time. The only thing consoling her was the belief she had in her Rangers to kill Mesagog. Even if she wasn't around to see it.

* * *

"Work, won't work, work, won't work." The words were sung in a made up tune that hit Tommy's ears as he entered his house. It had been several days since he'd lost Kim and it was taking its toll. Jason and Trini were getting back from their honeymoon a little early as the elder Rangers began to plan for the final battle. It wasn't just a matter of saving the world, it was also about retrieving one of their own and while they realized that she might not even be alive, they felt they needed to try. The Dino Thunder Rangers weren't even accepting that their mentor might be dead and were training without Tommy telling them to.

"Neen, what are you doing?" He asked as the tiny singer stopped and looked up at him. She held up a book and crayon before trying to remember the correct wording for it.

"Coloring," she answered finally. "Conner acquired it for me since I was not allowed to help train."

"Good. He's thinking," Tommy muttered. "Why aren't you with your dad?"

"Work, won't work, work, won't work!" She sang again and she kept it up as she finished. "Ethan says I do not need to hear it. Work, won't work!"

"Thank you, Neen," Tommy said, halfway giving up with trying to understand the child. "Stay up here."

He headed toward the hidden staircase and headed down it. "Billy, I know you want to save her. I want to save her, but it's protected! This won't work!" Hayley argued.

"Perhaps, but if I can reconfigure it, it will work. It will not be able to transport much, but if we can use that to get someone in…" Billy began.

"It's suicide for whoever goes! Even if they don't bounce off like a fly on the windshield, it's a fortress for a reason!" Hayley interrupted.

"You're not backing out of the plan, are you Hales?" Tommy asked and they turned to look at him. "I'd understand if you are, but I…"

"No, I'm not. I just don't like the additions he's trying to add to the plan. We've been talking about it, Tommy, and I'm still not convinced," Hayley answered. Tommy nodded.

"Considering that there is a little girl up there who is singing 'work, won't work', I can believe it. So, what's the argument over?" He asked.

"I believe I can refigure the transporter that I created to get a couple of us into Mesagog's lair thereby opening the specific gate needed to get the rest of us and our armory inside, not to mention we could acquire Kim," Billy answered. "It would be dangerous, but all of this is dangerous."

Tommy sighed. "This is a group decision again," he groaned. "You two, stop arguing. I'll get the kids. We're going to sit down and talk about this like reasonable, responsible adults."

"Is there room in that conversation for three more?" Tommy turned around and smiled a bit as Jason, Trini, and Zack walked in the room. "Because, we want to know how we're helping. We _are_ helping."

"Hey Bro," Tommy said and nodded to Trini and Zack as well. "Hey Trini. Didn't know you could get the time off, Zack."

"I'm officially on business," he answered. "We're officially expanding to California and once it's done, I'm transferring here. I can't keep taking time off work and I've already missed so much here."

"How are you holding up, Tommy?" Trini asked gently and embraced the woman, trying not to cry, as an answer. She patted his back, understanding how he felt. "We'll bring her back."

"I know," he answered. "I'm glad you guys are here. We needed to finish setting up our plans. I'll get the teens. Billy, Hayley, fill them in."

* * *

"Well, that didn't work," Ethan mentioned as Conner and Trent went flying in opposite ways. "We've tried this like twenty times. I really don't think it's going to work."

Trent sighed. "Then what help am I if we need to use all of the gems?" He asked. Conner was pulling himself up and shrugging at the same time.

"Beats me," he answered quickly before he had to draft Trent back to the team again. "But there has to be something we're not thinking about. Besides, it's just a part of the fight, right? We're sort of working as a team. Okay, we're not automatically teaming up on Trent anymore."

"Or leaving him out," Kira offered. "Sorry about that, Trent."

"You guys were a team long before I joined and I was trying to kill you. Can't blame you, really." he answered and they all nodded. "But it's only one more fight, right?"

"That's what Doctor O says," Conner answered impatiently. He was doing his best, but if he didn't have a feeling that they could use Trent, he would have let him go. "This should finish off Mesagog and his goons for good. If you want to turn in your gem after that, I think we'll all understand."

Trent nodded, but none of them said anything afterward. It would only end in another fight. Fortunately, even Trent didn't want that and was the first to change the subject to something more pleasing. "So, are you guys going to the prom? You know, if we live long enough to go?"

"Well," Conner joked. "If we're not saving the world that night, Kira and I are."

"I don't think…" Ethan started, but the other two cut him off.

"You're going," they said together. Ethan looked at Kira.

"I can understand Conner, but you?" He asked. "This doesn't sound like your kind of thing."

Kira shrugged. "It's our last big thing before graduation, you know? After this year being so crazy, it almost feels important. You have to come, Ethan."

"Yeah, man. I wouldn't have as much fun without you," Conner encouraged. He looked a little more warily at Trent, but pulled up as much of a smile as he could. "You should go too."

Trent nodded just as awkwardly. "I am. Pretty much for why Kira said."

Ethan sighed. "Can I think about it?" He asked and Conner shrugged.

"Of course, but we want a yes answer. Even Doctor O is going as a chaperone," he answered and his smile faded. "He was supposed to take Kim."

"He will take Kim," Kira said, trying to help the other's mood. "We just have to save her first."

"Well, how would you like to work on that?" They all turned and looked at their mentor. Tommy gave them a slight smile. "We're nearly ready to go."

* * *

"So, this entire plan is based around a maybe/maybe not idea. Hayley against, Billy for?" Kira asked, trying to make sure she had it figured out. Both geniuses nodded. "Okay, well, who would go, supposing we're going through with this?"

Billy sighed. "I will, of course, because I know how to use the transporter the best. If something goes wrong on the other side, I'm the best chance of fixing it. However, I'll need one more person to come with. That's all I'm willing to chance."

The number of volunteers was staggering as were the amount of reasons. Former Rangers and current Rangers were verbally fighting it out for the position. After a minute, Conner whistled. "Hey! I'm the leader of this team and I get to say who goes!"

"Shouldn't there be a vote?" Kira asked.

"Sorry, not this time, sweetheart," Conner answered affectionately before going back into leader mode before she could protest. "Look, we already have one former Ranger going, right?" At the former Rangers' protests, he whistled again. "Hey! Not finished. Now, it doesn't make sense to send two people who can't morph. Hayley's right. This is a dangerous, near suicide mission. So, it makes sense to send in a current Ranger."

"So, you're going," Ethan muttered and Conner shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Okay, Ethan, Billy is already going. That's one resident genius that is already going with, right? What if we need you for the rest of the plan?" He asked. Ethan grumbled, but stood down accepting Conner's logic. "Kira, this mission is going to take stealth and your power really doesn't go with that."

"Fine," she muttered and stood down as well.

"Doctor O, I know you love her, but you're our other mentor. We need here in case something happens and we need your expertise. Besides, you're the strongest backer we have for our powers," he explained. Tommy, reluctantly, stood down as well. Trent waited as Conner turned to him. "Trent, you know that place forward and backward. You lived there. We haven't found a way to blend your powers into ours and you're a good fighter. You can be stealthy."

"You want me to go instead of you?" Trent asked. "I thought you didn't trust me."

"I'm working on it," Conner answered with a waned smile. "I just want her home. I don't care who brings her home. We'll take care of destroying the ray thingy…"

"Transfiguration beam," both Billy and Hayley said at the same time.

"Yeah, that. But you need to get us there and get Kim out," he said. His voice became softer and he put his hand on Trent's arm. The white Ranger looked back at him. "Please, bring her home."

Trent didn't know what to say to that at first. Part of him didn't want to make a false promise in case something when wrong, but he realized that he couldn't let this go wrong even if he wasn't Kim's biggest fan. He'd agreed to stay until the end and he was going to even if that meant going on a near suicide mission to save a woman he didn't really like. "I will."

The alarms went off and Tommy groaned. "What now?"

* * *

The room was silent. Mesagog had left them alone and Zeltrax was gone for the moment. Kim had curled up the best that she could and was just waiting. She'd tried to get out of the shackles several times, but they were as tight as they were before. Worse, she didn't know if she had company anymore or not. Mercer hadn't said a word since they'd been dragged in here which was fair because after Elsa's death, Kim wasn't feeling much like talking either. She pulled against the chains again, something she did everyone once in a while though she was exhausted from doing so, but they still stayed in position.

Her annoyance, fear, and exhaustion had finally taken their toll. She glanced upward, deciding that since she was alone, now would be the best time to get it out. "God damn it! That's it! I'm sick of this! Every time someone gets kidnapped, it's me! Every time a monster decides to pick on the lowest common denominator, it's me! I love Tommy dearly, but I am sick and tired of having to be saved by a white knight! For goodness sake, I should be able to take care of myself! I am not going to die on an island starved to death and shackled against the wall! When kids in the future read about my life in history, at least future Power Rangers, they will not see 'The first pink Ranger died trapped to a wall because her boyfriend couldn't save her ass quickly enough!' I won't do it! I will get out of this! And someone's head is going to roll!"

She fell back against the wall, panting and gave out a final snort at the idea. "Feel better, Ms. Hart?"

Kim's eyes closed as she realized that she wasn't alone as Anton Mercer spoke. Still, she wasn't about to let him know that she was embarrassed by the situation. "I'd feel better if I wasn't trapped to a wall."

"Fair enough," came the answer. "You do realize that if your nature wasn't to help innocent civilians, and you would have left me here, you would have been able to get out more than likely on your first escape attempt."

Kim opened her mouth to counter, but realized he was right. Of course, she never would have done it. It wasn't in her nature to leave others behind to die, but he was right. She'd had to slow down to make sure he could keep up. "Hey, Mercer? Thanks."

"You're welcome, Ms. Hart. Now, please do be quiet. Your yelling gave me a headache," Mercer answered.

_Yep. Turned into a dinosaur, can make the rare joke, but deep down he's still Dr. Mercer._ With that final thought, she rested against the wall and fell into an uneasy sleep from exhaustion and boredom.

* * *

"Okay, I don't get it," Ethan stated as Hayley and Billy finished their tests. "That's from the life extractor? I thought it would have killed her but instead it made her good."

"It took the power that was inside her which was evil," Hayley explained. "That was all he wanted."

Tommy looked down at Elsa who was both tired and a little confused before turning to Jason, Trini, and Zack. "Can you guys keep an eye on her?"

Jason shrugged. "We're staying here anyway. Why not?"

Hayley looked over. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I have something for you," she mentioned. They glanced over her as she headed toward a closet. She came back with a few items and motioned for Billy to join them. "I'm sorry they aren't your actual ones, but I think those are gone for as long as your power is gone. For Zack, I got the lightest weight battle ax I could find. Sorry if it's a bit heavy."

"Hey, I'm willing to take what I can get and this is awesome," Zack answered, picking it up and grinning.

"For Billy, I wasn't able to get you two smaller lances, but I was able to find you an actual lance," she told him. He took it and held it for a moment.

"Thank you, Hayley."

"Trini, I got you a couple of throwing daggers. They'll work just as well for stabbing," she informed her. Trini took them gently.

"Thank you."

"And Jason, I know it's not the same, but…" She held out a sword which Jason gratefully took. "Just in case something goes wrong. You'll have the raptors too, of course."

They nodded. Conner looked at Billy and Trent. "Are you two ready?" He asked.

Trent nodded. Billy glanced at the red Ranger. "Affirmative. You must be ready to go when we are. We will get the gate open."

Hayley nodded. "Good luck," she said and Billy nodded. With that, he and Trent disappeared with a white and blue light. Hayley turned to the others. "Let's go."

* * *

The two intruders, fortunately, landed in a deserted area and, even better, none of the alarms went off. Billy pulled out the transporter and looked it over a bit before nodding. "It got us here, but I am unsure as to if it can transport all of us back," he whispered. Trent nodded.

"No problem," he whispered back. "We'll just take one of the invisiportals back. So, we find Kim and get out?"

"No," Billy answered. "First, we have to make sure that the door is opened for the other Rangers. If I distract Mesagog, can you do that?"

"Yeah, but…" Trent started and Billy shook his head.

"Like you, I am a Ranger even if I do not have the power anymore, Trent. I am quite capable of taking care of myself," he assured him. "Now lead the way."

"Yes, Sir," Trent answered, feeling a little foolish. He led the way down the corridor and to the room where the invisiportals were kept, as well as the controls to the laser. Billy nodded to Trent who chameleoned himself to the wall and went across it to stay unseen.

"So, you are Mesagog," Billy said walking out. Even he had to admit that this wasn't one of his better plans, but the more distracted Mesagog was, the better for Trent and the others. The good of the many outweighed the good of the one, as he had heard on Star Trek and repeated several times. Come to think of it, that way of thinking was why Trini confiscated the video to begin with so that he didn't get himself killed. He kept his arms at his sides unlike the majority of his companions who tended to fold them. What he hadn't told Trent was that while he was a Ranger, it had taken him several times the practice as the others to be able to help himself in battle. Practice he hadn't participated in for years. "Interesting, you are indeed a human/dinosaur hybrid. Not that I doubt the words of my colleagues, of course, but sometimes they do tend to over exaggerate."

Mesagog didn't waste any time, but fired his psionic powers at Billy, who had been studying the monster a lot longer than Mesagog had been studying him thanks to Hayley. He didn't waste any time staying in the way, but instead moved out of Mesagog's line of vision. The act surprised Mesagog who charged after the other. Trent snuck along and headed over to the button, trying not to make too much noise and making sure that he was definitely hidden so that Billy's actions weren't in vain.

Billy twirled his lance and charged, not expecting to win, but hoping it would give Trent enough time. Mesagog fought back and they only stopped when the alarms went off. Both pairs of eyes turned to the screen to see the Command Center Truck, the large semi that Hayley had built, rush in. Mesagog turned his attention to where the button was and reached out, finding Trent. He threw him away from the wall, cutting of the teen's power. Billy let the lance down to catch him and both fell over. He then reached for the lance, but Mesagog crushed his hand under his foot. Billy cried out from both the pain and the pressure of it and looked up. Trent was pulling himself up, but the psionic blast from Mesagog put him back down.

Billy glanced at the screen and inwardly winced from the pain and realization that the other's wouldn't know if they were there or not. Trent and he had to get Kim out of here, quick, or they were all going to be casualties of friendly fire.

* * *

Twack! The sword hit the practice wall again and Jason backed away from it, relaxing for the moment. His wife smiled over at him from the computer, having taken over the controls while Billy and Hayley were missing. Zack was practicing some new dance steps and looked completely relaxed while Neen and Elsa watched. The raptors were having some down time, which meant that Red was resting, Black was bouncing off the walls, while Blue and Yellow fought over some new toy. Jason smiled back at his wife and turned to Zack. "Should you be practicing too?"

"Practicing what? I have an ax. I swing it in the air at someone's head and hope it's not one of you guys," he said with a shrug. Trini looked at him.

"Very reassuring, Zack," she said sardonically. "Still no news."

"Right now, no news is good news," Jason said confidently, having fallen back into his leadership role. "If we heard from them, it would have been because the transporter failed or they were unable to get the portal open."

"You hope?" Trini asked and Jason shrugged.

"I know," he answered.

"Uncle Jason?" Neen asked, looking at the screen since everyone else was talking. "Do we know metal people?"

"Metal people?" Jason asked heading over to the screen. He took one look at it, put his hands over Neen's ears, and swore. "We've got company."

"Elsa, take Neen over on the other side. Stay against the wall and stay hidden," Trini ordered. "I'd send you out the back way, but I'm worried that he has drones there too."

Elsa grabbed Neen, who protested a little bit and stayed in the corner. Jason held his sword ready as Trini stood on his right with her daggers and Zack on his left with the ax. Zeltrax headed down the stairs and immediately began firing upon the lab to destroy it with a small army of Tyrannodrones following. Zack glanced at Jason. "Any words of encouragement, oh great one?"

"Just this," Jason answered. "If we let this lab and house get destroyed, we're going to have to listen to Kim whine about it until we get her a new one."

Trini looked at him incredulously. "That's supposed to make us…" She was cut off as Zack charged at Zeltrax.

"Never again!" He yelled and knocked the cyborg off balance with the ax. Everyone stood there in a minor shock at Zack's attack and finally both of the other two just groaned. Zeltrax came back up and threw Zack across the room against the wall. Trini and Jason glanced in his direction, but stayed firm against Zeltrax.

"Jason?" Trini said as Zeltrax and the Tyrannodrones advanced.

"Yes, dear?" Jason asked, readying himself.

"I don't think we're going to get the rest of our honeymoon," she answered. Jason winced as one of the Tyrannodrones tossed him back. He picked up the sword and charged back toward the horde.

"Probably not."

* * *

Things seemed pretty hopeless and it wasn't until a blast hit the fortress that they were able to get away. Billy didn't bother to let Trent go after the monster, but instead shoved him out the door as they went to find Kim. "If you want to go…" Billy started, but Trent shook his head.

"Conner would kill me," he answered, though his voice shook a little as the ceiling rumbled. Billy was keeping himself together for Kim's sake, but it was so much like before with Cestra. The ground shaking, the walls buckling, and someone he loved trapped inside. They raced down until they heard screams for help coming from one of the rooms. Billy pulled on the door, opening it and they raced inside.

"Kim!" Billy called out. "Where are you?"

"Billy! Over here!" Kim yelled back. "And Dr. Mercer! He's on the other side! We need help!"

Billy didn't need to motion to Trent to go after his father as the younger man was already doing it. Billy headed over to Kim, seeing the shackles. "Where is the key?"

"How the hell should I know?" Kim demanded. "I think there's a button or something."

"Which one?" He asked.

"I don't know!" She yelled, beginning to panic. "Try them all."

"That could kill you!" Billy argued.

"And being buried alive is better?!" She growled. "Just do it!"

Trent had found Mercer and was helping him back as Billy and Kim argued. He'd started to do what she asked and was looking at the buttons to try to find the right one, but they were running out of time and there still was the matter of finding a portal to get out of. Billy glanced over at Trent. "Trent! Get your father out. Go! Kim and I will catch up."

Trent started to do what Billy asked, but Conner's pleas from before stopped him. He knew this place better than anyone and while they didn't have enough time to get to the invisaportal, maybe they could make the invisaportal come to them. "No, I have a better idea. Over there, it's one of the portal conduits. Can you use it and the transporter to get us out?"

Billy looked at the transporter and didn't say a word, but got to work. Trent began to work on getting Kim free. She looked at him from where she was sitting and couldn't help herself. "Not that I'm complaining, but when did you switch sides?"

"Umm… same day you got captured. Try now," Trent said, but still nothing happened. "Dad, which one is it?"

He helped Dr. Mercer over to the panel and he looked at the different controls. He began pressing some of them as Billy looked over. "Okay, I'm ready. Did you get her free?"

"Not yet," Trent answered. "One more minute…"

"We don't have a minute," Billy snapped as part of the ceiling fell. Right after there was a click and Kim collapsed to the floor. Billy rushed over to help her up. He glanced up at the ceiling and his eyes widened. "We're out of time."

* * *

The Tyrannodrone knocked the sword out of Jason hand and the man flew backward from the assault. The drone reached brought his arm up to finish the former Ranger off, but there was a streak of red and the drone was torn apart as Red tore into him. Yellow and Black followed him in, attacking with a new vigor and Jason pulled himself back up to help them.

Several of the drones were ripped apart by Blue as she got in the way of them and Elsa and Neen. The raptor's chirps were definitely angry and she threw one back with her tail. She snapped and swung, not letting the drones near them. Yellow threw one of the drones away from Trini with his head while Black had gotten under Zack and leapt up and away from the trouble. Zack held on with legs as Black wasn't letting him fall and swung with the ax. Several more drones fell. With the raptors, the battle turned into the former rangers' favor.

Jason pushed back, bring the sword down and taking down a few more drones when Zeltrax threw him across the room. He landed, groaning as he reached for his sword and stood back up. "I'm getting too old for this."

Trini landed on the ground beside him. "I think I know what you mean.

Zack came flying at the as Zeltrax had thrown him off of Black. He shook himself off and reached for the ax. "Definitely know why Zordon chose teenagers. I thought things were going our way now."

"They are," Jason groaned as he held himself up uneasily. "The raptors have pushed back the Tyrannodrones. It's just Zeltrax. It's like us trying to fight Goldar without our powers."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, that never worked out for us, did it?"

"No," the other two answered. They all stood ready as Zeltrax advanced on them again. Each of them knew that they were stalling the inevitable. They'd seem more drones come in through the secret way and they were definitely trapped. They might have been able to get through the drones, but they couldn't with Zeltrax aiming at their backs. Their weapons, when they'd been able to hit, had damaged the cyborg, but he had kept the upper hand. The most they'd gotten was the arms and legs, not anywhere vital and they seemed to be armored anyway. Jason brought himself up to his full height and stood proudly for the other two to see.

"Even if we can't win this, let's go out fighting, guys," Jason said. The other two followed his lead as they always had before. Zeltrax raised his hand up to destroy them and they got ready to charge.

_We can't die here. Jason and Trini just got married. I was going to transfer. We just found out about Neen. What's going to happen to her? Will they just slaughter her too? Will Kim, Billy, and Tommy blame themselves? Is this how Zordon felt?_ Zack closed his hands around the ax and took a deep breath as the cyborg's energy started at them and then died as quickly as it came.

Zeltrax gasped a bit and reached toward his neck to feel the arrow lodged within. He turned around just in time for a second arrow to fly into where his eye would be, another unprotected area. The former rangers moved out of the way as he hit the wall and turned to see Kim lowering her bow. Trent and Billy were right behind her. She rushed over to where her former teammates were and where Zeltrax lay, still alive because of the machine aspects. The mixture between the mechanical and the biological were fighting for dominance at this point and at the least, he was in shock. "Good timing," Jason told her and she nodded.

"Give me your sword, Jason," she demanded. Jason looked a little confused, but did as she asked. She held it in both hands and stood over the cyborg. Zeltrax looked up at her.

"You? How?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Good metal," was her answer. "Hayley gives us the best toys, Smitty."

"I always thought it would be Tommy," he whispered and Kim shook her head as she kneeled down to near his level, placing a hand on his arm. He started to lift it up, but stopped when he realized her advantage.

"No, Smitty. You were never good enough for him. You've always been second best," she answered. Her words were harsh, but her voice was surprisingly gentle. She gave him a small smile as her mind flickered between the human and mechanical version of the man. "Try to rest in peace this time."

He didn't try to block, knowing she'd already won. Kim was impressed at the difference between the man she had known and the cyborg before her and she realized that she had more respect for him now as she brought the sword down, severing his head from his neck. The great cyborg was dead. She dropped the sword and fell to the ground having used adrenaline to keep herself going for that long. The events of the past couple of days were catching up to her and she felt exhausted. Jason glanced over to the raptors finishing off the drones and then at Elsa who was covering Neen's eyes from the entire display.

"Come on, Squirt," he said affectionately. "Let's get you something to eat."

"Could be nice," she answered back. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine. You look like hell. Oww! But Trini, she does!" Zack protested as Trini smacked his arm. She headed over to her husband to help, but he shook his head and picked Kim up. They got her upstairs and both she and Mercer were able to have a little something to eat so that they didn't throw it back up. Trent stood in the middle of them, a little anxious to go near Kim after everything that had happened.

"You weren't aiming for my ear, were you?" He asked, fear evident in his voice. Kim shrugged.

"I was defending myself. Besides, I tried to be nice about it. I shot you in the shoulder first," she reminded him. At Mercer's murderous look, she quickly put her hands up. "He was evil and he started it."

Mercer sighed and shook his head as his son sat down next to him and as far away from the other Ranger's mentor as possible. Kim began to relax with her soup, but nearly dropped it when she heard the noise from down in the Lab. "Oh my god! What the hell happened?!" Hayley exclaimed.

"Jason? Trini? Zack?" Called Tommy.

"Up here, Bro!" Jason called. The Dino Rangers and Hayley flew up the stairs to where the others were trying to heal up a bit and relax. Billy quickly got in the way as they started toward Kim.

"Absolutely not," he said. "She is rather weak and needs to rest as well as take in some substance. She does not require four, possibly five, people jumping on her."

Conner peaked out from where Billy was standing to see that she did look tired, but also very much alive. "Okay, fair enough. Can we talk to her? What happened?"

Kim took over, motioning for them to sit down. They headed over, but none of them were able to relax enough to sit and instead stood and fidgeted. "They got in, they got you in, and they eventually came to find me once the place was going down."

"We have been through this, Kim," Billy reminded her exasperatedly. "Mesagog was attempting to destroy us."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Mesagog split from Mercer and we were both being kept in a room. Mercer's minor prison got destroyed which didn't matter because he was a lot worse off physically than I was. I was shackled to the wall and after four failed escape plans and pulling against that wall for hours, I wasn't going anywhere. Trent and Billy showed up, Trent grabbed Mercer, and Billy tried to rescue me. Eventually, Trent and Mercer took over rescuing me and Billy found us a way out. The ceiling caved as we got loose and got caught on itself which gave us an extra three seconds to jump through the portal before we were crushed," she answered and turned to her soup, motioning for one of the others to continue, which Trent did.

"We got here, heard the noise, Kim grabbed her bow," he started and then stopped, turning to Kim. "I thought that you kept it in the lab."

She glanced up and shrugged. "I do. I also have two."

"Oh," Trent said. "Anyway, she led the way down and before I could even morph, she shot an arrow into Zeltrax's neck, then his eye, and then she took the sword and beheaded him."

All three of the other younger Rangers looked at Kim in awe as she shrugged. "He was really starting to piss me off."

Tommy shook his head. "Wow. I always thought that I'd be the one to kill him."

Kim grinned. "So did he. He wasn't even in your league, Tommy."

Conner looked at their tired mentor and folded his arms, worry crossing his face. "Are you going to be okay, Kim?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," she assured them since the others matched his worry. "So, did you guys see Mesagog?"

Tommy shook his head. "No. So, you don't know if he's dead either?"

Billy shrugged. "There is a chance that he perished and an equal one that he did not. Unfortunately, we have no evidence to prove either."

Tommy glanced over at Kim and headed over, sitting down next to her. "I thought I'd lost you."

She gave a slight grin. "Well, know you know how I felt when you were trapped in amber…"

"Okay, I should have been more careful but…"

"_And_ when you were invisible…"

"Well, what about the cave-in?"

"Nothing compared to the coma," she exclaimed. "I can't believe I let you talk me into that!"

"It ended well!" He argued.

"Because we went in your head to save you!" Kim countered. "I'd say it was your turn. Besides, at least I brought back a friend. See, you got me back and you got a lovely parting gift. All I got was a headache."

"Gee, thanks, Kim," Tommy said, rolling his eyes, but any amount of real anger he had evaporated when he looked at her. No matter how much they quipped at each other, it was worth it to have her back. The others smiled and were relaxing as well, but there was still work to be done as well as other activities.

"I'm going to go take a shower," Trini muttered. "I feel disgusting. I'd let you go first, Kim, but…"

"Couch nice. Couch friendly," Kim answered with a smile. "Go on."

"I call it after Trini!" Zack called out, racing up the stairs.

"Fine! I'll just take one with my wife!" Countered Jason, not wanting to be last. Trini shrugged and headed up after them as both she and Kim shook their heads.

"Boys," they proclaimed at the same time.

Billy picked up Neen and turned to Hayley. "I need to get her to bed and then I will return to assist you."

"I'll help," Hayley said quickly. "I could use a break."

Tommy turned to the other Rangers. "We need to prepare in case Mesagog is alive," he informed them, marching them out the door to train. Elsa excused herself from the room in order to relax as the last couple of days hadn't been easy on her either. Kim sat back and closed her eyes for a minute, but panic took over and her eyes snapped open again. Everything hit her from the past couple of days, including questions of her own such as Elsa being alive.

"Afraid to go to sleep?" She glanced over as Mercer spoke. "It's quite alright. I've been feeling the same way."

"I'm afraid when I wake back up, I'll be back there," she answered. "Hungry without this… really bad tasting soup."

"I'm sure it's supposed to help us get better," he reminded her. "With time, everything will be better, Kimberly."

"See? You can say my name," she teased and then fell quiet again. "They'll forgive you, you know. Tommy and Trent, I mean. Yeah, you're going to have to talk to them, but they'll forgive you. Hayley, I'm not so sure about." Mercer didn't answer, which Kim took as him accepting that. "By the way, about my rant while we were captured, would you…?"

"I won't tell a soul," he answered.

"Thanks, Mercer."

* * *

"Hey Trent! Can I talk to you for a minute?" Conner called and Trent glanced back at the other Rangers before shrugging and heading over to the red Ranger. Conner looked a little uncomfortable, but smiled a bit. "I, uh, wanted to say thanks."

"You would have done the same," Trent answered, equally as awkward. "And I got my dad back."

"I'm not sure how we're going to win this, but at least we have one more player on our side," Conner said and shrugged. "Even if it is you."

"Does that mean you trust me?" Trent asked. Conner paused to think about it for a minute and when he was done, he nodded.

"I trust you," Conner answered. "Maybe not as much as I trust Ethan or Kira or Doctor O, but major trust builds time. Still, you nearly blew up to get Kim back and that means something."

They headed back to the rest of the group and Trent glanced at him. "So, Kim is your primary mentor, huh?"

"Yep. I got the best one," he bragged. Ethan looked over at him.

"What? I'd like to remind you who the brains of the outfit is. That's right, my mentor. Hayley's the best," Ethan disagreed and Kira scoffed.

"Best Power Ranger ever. That's mine. I win. Doctor O is so the best mentor," she argued. "I mean, come on. He came out of retirement after ten years!"

"So?" Ethan fought back. "Hayley made everything. The morphers, the bikes, the computer. Seriously, she rocks."

"Cut off Trent's ear! Oh, sorry, Trent," Conner said quickly. The white Ranger gave a quick shrug, rather amused by the whole situation and willing to look past it as long as he didn't have to go near her. "Plus, she shot Zeltrax twice and cut off his head!"

"So, Doctor O, how long are you going to let them go at it?" Trent asked as Tommy watched beside him, forgotten by the other Rangers. He shrugged before grinning.

"Until Kira wins," he joked. "So, you're staying."

"Conner talked me into it," Trent answered, though even he knew drafted was probably a more correct word. "Though if Mesagog is gone…"

"So are you. Trust me. I understand," Tommy answered. Before he could say anything else, he heard the communicator go off and Hayley's voice.

_"Tommy, we've got trouble."_

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Two more chapters until the end of this one. Because the next book will have more original characters and I know that some people don't like that, I'm hoping that the end of this one will make it so that you guys don't feel like you have to continue on. That said, I'd love it if you did. So, one more chapter really and then an epilogue. I'll probably get both of them out next week since the epilogue will be a shorter chapter.

The one shots will be finished within two-three weeks. I've started both of them, so I'm just trying to give myself enough time to do them well. It's still open for more if you haven't given me an idea. While I only have the time to accept one from each person, I'm not closing it for those who haven't done it yet. I just wanted you all to know that.

So, Zeltrax. I had to make a decision over who would get to kill Zeltrax: Tommy or Kim. Tommy was the obvious answer because of their rivalry, but I thought Kim could use the therapy. So, for good or bad, I had her do it.

Thank you for all of your reviews! I loved reading through all of them and I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter!


	19. Final Fight

**Chapter 19: Final Fight**

"What's wrong, Hayley?" They rushed into see what the technological genius had found and she pointed at the screen where there was definitely something large and ugly tearing up the town. Conner looked disgusted and sighed.

"Dude! I thought we were done with these losers! So, Mesagog's alive, huh?" He asked and Hayley looked even more upset.

"That's the problem. We're not sure. We just found this thing, but it looks like it's been tearing the city up for awhile. I hate to say it, but Mesagog would have had to have made this before everything happened since the island exploded. Or it could have been ready for an attack right before we left. It's Mesagog. I don't know what he was thinking," she answered.

Elsa glanced over. "I remember preparing it, but it wasn't around when I was there, if it helps," she said softly having joined them downstairs. At this point, Trent and she were the two best experts they had on Mesagog other than Mercer who needed to sleep. Hayley nodded and looked at Tommy since they really were uncertain. Tommy sighed and looked at Conner and Ethan.

"If we leave you two alone with the Zords, are you going to be able to handle it?" He asked and both of the younger men nodded. "Good. Kira, Trent, we're going to go hunt for Mesagog's body. If we can find it, we'll know he's dead. If we can't, then we'll know he's alive."

"Doctor O, that island was huge! And, I know that you might have forgotten, but it's sort of underwater now too," Kira reminded him. Tommy grinned and looked at Jason and Hayley.

"And you two said we'd never need them," he teased. Jason shrugged.

"What were the odds?" He asked and Hayley shrugged, but typed in a few keys onto the panel. Kira, Tommy, and Trent's suits changed a little bit to become like scuba suits. Kira looked at her teacher.

"You planned this? Why?" She asked and Tommy glanced over at Jason who looked a little embarrassed.

"So that when my friends got stuck under water again, I'd have a back-up plan," he answered. "You never know when you'll have to face pirates."

The rest of them shrugged and nodded. Conner realized right then that at some point, they'd gotten used to the idea of weird things happening and nothing really seemed to surprise them anymore. He wasn't sure if he was happy or disturbed by that, but at Ethan's tug, he decided to settle it later as they raced out the door. Conner stopped and turned back. "Uh, Kira? We can't get the last Zord without you."

Tommy laughed and shook his head. "How about we make sure that you have all the Zords and then go?" He suggested, having already planned to. Both boys looked a little embarrassed but nodded. Tommy turned to Hayley. "Get Kim down here so that she can watch. Trust me, it will save you a headache. And Hayley? Tell her I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Oh sure. Give me the hard job. You only have to face a giant monster and possibly a powerful psychopath. I have to deal with your girlfriend in worried mode," Hayley mentioned, but she still nodded and motioned him toward the back. They grabbed the cycles and ATVs and were out the door. Hayley sighed. "Jason, can you…"

"I'll carry her down," he answered. "Don't worry about it. And Hayley, just in case no one has ever said it, we all appreciate everything you've done here."

As he turned to leave, Hayley just smiled as she went to work.

* * *

They had called the Zords for Ethan and Conner and the auxiliary Zords were on stand-by they when left. The other Rangers were transported into the ocean by Billy and made their way to the former island. What was left of the fortress was a mess and there were the bodies of Tyrannodrones everywhere. They swam through the refuse, turning things over and looking through this and that. Trent, in particular, tried to find where the room Mesagog had been was, but under water and completely decimated, it was much harder to see.

"Anything, Doctor O?" Kira asked as she swam carefully around her section. They were unsure as to what might still be alive let alone any actual sea life with a taste for blood showing up. As Tommy had finally reminded them, the island had come back from the ocean's depths as well once before when they had thought it destroyed. There was no reason it couldn't do a repeat number.

"Nothing, Kira," her teacher answered. "Trent?"

"I can't tell where one room ends and the next begins, Doctor Oliver," Trent answered. "I lived here, but it's like trying to find your way if your house caved in. I can't figure out any of it."

"It's okay, Trent," Tommy assured him. "It's hard for all of us."

"Speaking of that," Kira mentioned. "Is anyone else really sick of touching dead drones just to find out if they're a dead Mesagog?"

"Me!" Trent offered and Tommy laughed.

"I've been using my staff," he told her. "I figured you two were doing the same."

"Cheater," Kira muttered. "I can't see him. I'm not sure if this is working."

"It's not," Tommy answered, just as frustrated as she was. "Even if he is down here, I don't think we'd be able to get to the body."

"Uh, guys?" Trent interrupted. "I think you might want to see this!"

They headed over in the direction that Trent was in to see various versions of Tyrannodrones. Instead of looking like normal Drones, they were weaker and deformed as if half gone in a pile instead of around the room. None of the three could see well enough to really count the bodies, but there were dozens there at the least and many of them judging by the size of the pile. Tommy moved past the younger two and touched one. He felt the bone break as he did so and he moved back. He moved when he felt something touch his arm and saw Kira looking at him. "What happened to them, Doctor O?"

"I don't think Elsa was the first or only thing to go through the life extractor," he answered. He reached out and pat her shoulder. "We're not able to find him and I don't think we can do anything else here."

_"Well then. You guys might want to get back here,"_ Kim's voice interrupted. _"Because our boys aren't exactly winning."_

"We'll be right there," Tommy promised. "Come on, Guys."

They swam toward the edge of the water and their suits turned back to normal. They felt the sensation of being transported as they were ripped away from the beach and back toward the city. Hopefully in time to make sure that Conner and Ethan were okay.

* * *

"Hey Ethan? You're one of my best friends, right?" Conner asked as he struggled to keep the Megazord up and running.

"Yep," the blue Ranger answered, pressing various other buttons in order to assist Conner at his goal.

"So, am I being selfish for wanting them to stay dead when they die?" He asked as the monster stood back up again. They'd already supposedly killed him three times. "I mean seriously, am I?"

"If you are, so am I," Ethan assured him as he glanced over at his friend. "Man, this guy is harder than we thought."

"We can do this," Conner said just before his console shocked him. "We just have to stay focused and… oww! Son of a bitch! How come we don't have missiles on this damned thing! I want to blow whatever that thing is up!"

"Because they're worried about the general populace and you with very intense weapons is a scary thought?" Ethan teased. Conner couldn't help but to smile behind his helmet. As much as he loved Kira and Doctor Oliver, though in completely different ways, Ethan was definitely the one he wanted with him right now. Kira probably would have told him to grow up and Tommy would have told him exactly why he didn't get the weapons and to stop complaining. He could count on Ethan to joke with him.

"You block, I'll strike," Conner said instead. "Maybe that will help."

"Haven't we been doing that?" Ethan asked and Conner shrugged.

"I figured maybe if I said it like a new plan, it would work like a new one," Conner answered. He couldn't see Ethan's face, but he had a feeling it wore an expression of disbelief.

"Do you listen to yourself talk?" He asked as he blocked again. He didn't bother telling Conner how much more shields they had left. It didn't really matter at this point. They need to finish this or die trying.

"Nope," Conner answered. Their com went on and both boys listened to it.

_"Conner, you're going to need all of the Zords,"_ they heard Tommy say. Neither of them wanted to disagree especially when they were both secretly relieved to know that their mentor was able to help them at least verbally.

"Right," he said. "Dinozords! Full power!"

The light burned bright and headed toward the creature, knocking it back. Ethan and Conner cheered, but it pulled itself back up again. Conner groaned and Ethan wasn't much better. "Conner, this thing has nine lives."

"How many lives do we have?" Conner asked. Ethan actually looked at him that time.

"One,' he said in annoyance.

"Damn."

"Yeah," Ethan agreed. They struggled in it, but the creature had made something stronger, windier, as if pulling them apart. Both of them struggled to keep the megazord up and running, but they had to admit that it wasn't working well. They had both gone on the defensive, determined to keep going and hoping that this thing would destroy itself. Yet, that plan wasn't working. Ethan looked over. "What now, Conner?"

Conner looked at their enemy and shook his head. "I don't know."

_"You've got to sacrifice the Zords!" _Tommy's voice answered the question that he couldn't have heard. Both boys were quiet for a moment, waiting for their teacher to yell 'Gotcha! Here's the real plan', but it never came.

"We can't!" Conner finally exclaimed in horror. He glanced at Ethan who was shaking his head.

"No, Doctor Oliver!" He added.

_"You've got to. It's the only way,"_ Tommy told them as gently as possible, but neither agreed. They, like those before them, had come to think of the Zords as more than mechanical beings. Maybe they weren't as much so as the raptors, but they were still part of the unit.

_"Boys, we know. We understand. We've been there,"_ Kim's voice hit their ears. _"But we can always build new Zords. We can't rebuild you. Please, let them go."_

Conner glanced over at Ethan. "I'm not agreeing unless you're with me on this," Conner told him. Ethan took a deep breath and nodded. Conner looked back at the comm. Alright."

The winds grew worse as they headed toward the creature. To make matters worse, it was laughing, taunting them. Conner had heard the same kind of laughter in horror movies and it chilled him. Ethan struggled with him to do anything other than hang on. They both had to push a certain command in order for the self-destruct to work. It was a safety that had been put in so that one evil Ranger couldn't destroy all of the Zords. Conner struggled to reach his and finally managed to. He slammed his hand down on it and hung on as they moved closer. There was no point in sacrificing the Zords if they weren't going to take the thing down with them. "Ethan! Hit the self-destruct sequence!"

"I'm trying!" Ethan cried back. Conner watched as they got too close.

"Ethan! Now!" Conner exclaimed. Ethan pushed the right buttons just in time. The self-destruction began to work as they tried to escape, but the destruct sequence and the pounding they'd took before made the ejection sloppy. They both gasped as there was pain shooting around them. "Ethan…"

"I have an idea…" Less than a moment later, the Zords exploded.

* * *

"Get out of there…" Tommy muttered as they got as close as safely possible for the moment. The Megazord were still pulling back a bit and the monster grabbed it. The other Rangers could only watch as the Zords' self-destruct sequence came into play and destroyed itself along with the monster. There was no ejection that they could see in the fiery explosion, no sign of either Ethan or Conner. "Guys."

_"Tommy, do you see them?" _Kim asked and Tommy took a minute to answer.

"Not yet, but we'll head over toward where they are. We'll find them, Kim," he promised, though he didn't add on his final thoughts. _Dead or alive._

They rushed toward the crash site, powering down as they did so. If there was any sign of them, it would be easier to see without obscured vision at the moment. They stopped at the edge and waited, unable to go any further due to the flames that engulfed the area. Kira looked around and Trent was trying to see through the fire, but Tommy just waited, making sure not to let them get too close. "Come on, guys."

The silence was overwhelming. They could hear the crackle of the fire, but anything else was lost. Kira looked at Tommy, fear evident in her eyes which Tommy was sure would have matched his if he hadn't been keeping such a tight lid on his emotions at the moment for the other two. "Doctor O, where are they?"

He paused for a minute before answering. "I don't know, Kira. They should have been here by now."

Kira nodded and stayed quiet as they waited, but two, three minutes passed by and there was still nothing. Trent gave up looking through to try to see and sat down instead. Tommy was still doing his best to see and to keep Kira from rushing into the middle of it still. Kira closed her eyes for a moment to halt any tears before turning to her mentor. "They're not coming, are they?"

Tommy knew when they should keep hope and when he should accept facts and the fact was if they hadn't shown up by now, then they probably hadn't made it. He shivered at the thought of having to go through the wreckage to find what was left of his two students, the phone calls he would have to make to their parents, the news of their deaths that he would have to tell Kim and Hayley as well as the others. He didn't want to watch the other Rangers break down, nor watch Billy explain it to Neen. As all these thoughts crossed his mind, he felt the tears fall down his face. He looked at Kira to see that their were identical tears starting to creep down her own. "No, Kira. I don't think they're coming." He held her as she began to cry and he shook his head. "I never should have asked them to do it alone."

Kira pulled herself together a bit. "No, they appreciated it. I know they did. They loved it when you thought they were good enough to do something."

Tommy shook his head a bit. "They were always good enough. You were all always good enough. I couldn't have asked for better students. For better Rangers." He paused and heard the last whispered bit in his mind. _For better kids._

"Doctor O?"

"Yes, Kira?" Tommy asked, still making sure she was okay. He still had one left. Even if he'd lost the other two, Kira was still with him and he wasn't going to lose her too.

"What did Ethan say right before I landed on your jeep?" She asked and Tommy ran through his memories. He smiled a bit.

"He said, 'It's not like she's just going fall out of the sky and land right in front of us.' Then you did," he answered and sighed. "It's not going to work, Kira."

She ignored him. "It's not like they're going to fall out of the sky and land right in front of us. Or trip over the rubble as they're stumbling here, blaming the other for being in their way. Or be arguing with each other about something stupid, waiting for me to tell them they're both doofuses because they're doing it again." She'd started cry again by this point. "Or arguing over video games and soccer and which is better. Or teasing me about falling for evil Rangers before arguing over whether or not that means Conner is evil. Or telling me that I need to lighten up because I'm always trying to bring them back down to Earth. Oh God, Doctor O! They're gone!"

Tommy caught her as she completely broke down. He held her to him, running his hand down her hair and trying to soothe her a bit as she cried, though he couldn't help his own tears mixing in. Trent stood back, feeling a little awkward and unsure as what to say, but Tommy gently lowered Kira to the ground since her knees had completely given out.

"W-well, you do need to lighten up, doesn't she?" Kira's head turned toward the voice. She saw an extremely dirty from the ash red t-shirt as well as a grayish blue next to it. After a moment, they seemed to come into focus.

"Conner?!" She asked as he stumbled out, arm around Ethan to keep him steady. Both boys were smiling a bit, proud of themselves for making it through. "Ethan?!"

"Did you miss us?" Conner asked as Kira dove at them both and embraced them. They ignored the pain and held their friend instead as her tears shifted from pain to joy. "Sorry it took us so long, but someone took forever with the self-destruct."

"Well, we still would have been here soon if you hadn't thrown us how many feet off course. I managed to get us out by pressing the button while you shot open the window area, but you couldn't aim right," Ethan countered to which Conner gave his a playful glare. "So, after the overwhelming pain, it took us longer to walk back."

Kira nodded and then smacked them both. "I thought you were dead! How could you do that to us?! You didn't think calling was a good idea?!"

Both boys held up their morphers. "It will still let us morph, but it killed our communication," Ethan explained, letting out a slight groan when Kira pulled them back into a hug. "Hey, Doctor O. Sorry we worried you."

"At least you're both okay. That's what matters," Tommy answered, making sure he'd wiped away the evidence that he'd been worried. He did, however, still put his hands on their backs just to make sure they were there as he continued to talk to them. "And Ethan? Your 'not going to fall out of the sky' remark seems to work."

"Good to know, Doctor O. Can you get Kira off? She's crushing us!"

Tommy laughed and headed to Kira. "It's okay. They're alive. They'll still be alive if you let them go."

Kira obeyed and smiled at them. Trent walked over and they clasped hands with him. "I'm glad you guys are alive."

"Thanks, Trent," they answered. Conner relaxed a bit and looked at Tommy, heading them all back into business mode.

"So, is it over?" He asked, but before Tommy could answer, he was cut off.

"Of course it's not over!" They all turned to see Mesagog standing before them, definitely alive and well. They saw the power warped around him. "I may not be able to change the world, but I can still destroy you. With the power from Elsa and the rest of the Tyrannodrones, see the face of your ultimate destruction."

He grew and mutated in front of them, gaining dinosaur features like a longer neck, a tail, and taloned feet. Tommy looked at the others. "Are you guys up for one last battle?"

Conner grinned. "Oh yeah."

They morphed quickly and stood ready. All of their training had led up to this minute. Conner stood in front and the others lent him the power that he needed. Trent backed him up physically, but as they had discussed in the training, he could do little else. The others didn't exactly stand back, but Conner was definitely the focus on their mind. His speed increased, faster than it had ever been. He rushed at Mesagog who fought back with surprising accuracy. Conner used the staff to keep Mesagog back and the speed to keep him running the dinosaur around in circles.

Trent joined him, giving him power arrows to distract the creature or joining in confusing Mesagog with having two rangers racing around. "Tyrannostaff!" Conner called out before using it. Mesagog flew back, but it didn't take long for him to get back up again. Conner's eyes widened as Mesagog rammed him, throwing Conner back and causing him to lose his staff. He looked worried as Mesagog advanced. He felt the effects of the gem as his gloves shifted a bit and claws came through, similar to those of a Tyrannosaurus. He slashed at Mesagog, scratching the dinosaur across the face which caused his enemy to call out in pain as it hit the eyes.

He rushed Conner and pushed him back, leaping onto him after. Conner tried to shove him away, but Mesagog leaned in, placing his talons at the boy's neck and holding down his arms to keep him from scratching back. "It seems we have more in common than you thought."

Conner's fury grew and he kicked out, but it didn't stop Mesagog. Seeing behind the lizard, he changed tactics and focused on Ethan, which ended his talons and speed. Ethan rammed Mesagog off his friend and threw the evil creature off. His helmet changed to include horns as the other two noticed the switched tactic and joined to help Ethan. Mesagog stood back up and turned to Ethan who had been waiting for his chance. Mesagog slashed at Ethan, but it bounced off as if he were hitting rock. Ethan brought back his fist and slammed it into his face which threw the dinosaur away from all of them. Before Mesagog could fully get up, Ethan rammed him, the horns cutting into the skin and the sheer force knocking the creature back. Ethan wasn't done though and he made sure to concentrate half on himself and half on Conner. Conner's speed increased once more and the two took him on. Conner's quick attacks and Ethan's strength and defense did wonders, but Mesagog's new form was still stronger and he was able to force both away.

They fell at Kira's feet and both brought her into their concentration. The young woman screeched, loudly, and Mesagog flew away from them. She leapt onto Conner and Ethan's back and spread her arms. Conner glanced at her. "What are you doing?"

"Time for some air support," she answered and jumped off as wings from her torso to her arms appeared. She used her scream and her Pteraclamps to strike Mesagog while the boys took him head on from below as the energy was split between the three: Conner concentrating on Kira, Kira on Ethan, and Ethan on Conner. Tommy's extra energy only added to their strength. The strategy was working much better and they were pushing him back, but he grabbed Kira's leg and threw her into Conner and Ethan. They fell into a heap and unscrambled to pick themselves back up. Mesagog started to attack them while they were down, but something invisible, along with Trent's quick attacks, took him on.

The other three pulled themselves to their feet and joined their invisible mentor and teammate, but Mesagog kept the upper hand. He threw them aside like ragdolls before lightening came from him aimed directly at them. They managed to get out of the way, but they were definitely back on the defense. Tommy, Trent, and Conner tried rushing him using speed and invisibility, but he fried Conner before throwing Tommy away and smacking Trent as if he were a fly. Ethan put his hands together as Kira put her foot on them and he threw her into the air toward him before taking to the lower ground like his Power dinosaur would and ramming Mesagog while Kira struck from above, but the joint attacks failed again.

"This isn't working!" Conner called out as he helped Tommy up. The other three nodded and Conner yelled out. "Trent! Behind you!"

The electricity crackled toward Trent whose eyes widened. He held up his hands to block, but it never hit him. They all felt a little surprised by that and when Mesagog tried again against Conner, Trent was able to lessen the amount of damage done to him by the electricity. "Conner…"

"Thanks, Trent," Conner said and stood next to him. "We have to do something major and when we do it, I'm going to need you to help us by making sure he doesn't throw our last ditch effort out the window. You in?"

"I'm in," Trent promised. "What's your plan?"

"Doctor O? The gems can blend, right? Well, what if we do what the Zords did? Use the gems to beat him," Conner asked as they dodged Mesagog.

"It could work, but not if we all do it separately. We're going to have to push it through one of us and I don't know what it will do to the gems or that person or even the rest of us," Tommy answered. He dodged, but he wanted to close his eyes as he knew what was coming next. They were Rangers and somewhere down the line, they'd learned that sometimes you have to risk sacrifice in order to save others. He could volunteer, but they hadn't practiced as much with him, Ethan, or Kira. They'd been preparing against Trent and therefore, they had the most practice giving their power to Conner. Even though he knew that Conner was best suited for it, he'd just nearly lost the boy. He didn't want to go through that again.

"Then I'll do it." Tommy nodded, having known it was coming though that sense of dread was still there. Conner turned to Trent. "When we start, you start."

"I'm on it. I'll make sure he doesn't touch any of you as much as I can," he promised. Conner nodded. "White Dracio power!"

Conner nodded to the others who quickly followed Trent's lead. Conner closed his eyes and focused on his own gem, opening his hands as if her were to catch a ball in order to let the Power form there. He could already feel the Dracio's power shielding them.

"Blue power of the Triceratops!"

"Yellow power of the Pterodactyl!"

"Black power of the Brachiosaurus!"

"Red power of the Tyrannosaurus!" Conner finished and the power burned brighter. Worse for them, though none of them stopped, the gems glowed and grew hotter on their wrists. It felt as if it were burning into them and their suits began to flicker. Conner held on as one by one the power left the others. He could feel their presence, but he heard them fall behind him. All of them calling out in pain from the gems' strong reaction and their final screams before they went unconscious from the pain of the heat, the loss of power, and because their morphers exploded. Even Trent, who was shielding and giving them the leverage they needed, seemed to feel like he was on fire.

"Conner, I can't hold it much longer," Trent told him and Conner nodded.

"One… more… minute…" he promised and the energy glowed directly in his hand. He felt his own morpher crackled and the burst from the energy overload. "I… need… you… to…"

"I… know," Trent answered and the shielding dropped, changing to a white outline around Conner's power. The two boys closed their eyes and took the shot, directly at Mesagog's heart.

The white power from Trent glowed, burning its way through to let the power in Mesagog, burning its way through instead of stopping at the edge like it would have without Trent's power. Mesagog stopped from the shock and the pain that it was causing him. It was enough. The power worked its way in and both Trent and Conner stayed up long enough to watch it seep out of dinosaur. He gasped and shook as red, blue, yellow, and black lights broke out of his eyes, nose, fingers, started to break through the skin and head toward the skies. Finally, the Power broke free, causing Mesagog to explode into hundreds of lights like a firework. The lights flew up and disappeared. By that point, both Trent and Conner were on the ground. Trent moved toward Conner, knowing the others were okay. "Conner, are you alive?"

"Yeah, Dude," Conner whispered before darkness took over. "I'm alive."

* * *

"Conner. Conner!" The boy winced and rolled over as the loud calls awoke him. He wasn't quite what was going on, but he did know that he was tired and in quite a bit of pain. He batted at whatever what making the noise, knocking it away.

"Sleeping. Go away," Conner muttered. He heard laughter and more voices after he did that.

"I think he's fine, Doctor O. Are you okay?" Kira asked, her voice full of mirth, though she was obviously trying not to laugh. The teacher muttered something and Conner opened his eyes, winced in pain from the sun, and glanced over to see Tommy on the ground looking none too pleased.

"Hey, Doctor O? Why are you on the ground?" Conner asked, still waking up. Tommy looked even less amused.

"You shoved me here, Conner," he answered. His expression changed and he smiled slightly.

"How long was I out?" He asked and Kira shrugged.

"We just woke up like ten minutes ago," she answered. "So, you weren't alone. We won."

"Yeah, but the gems got fried," Ethan continued, holding his up. While it had the same shape, it looked just like any other plain, grey rock. Conner reached over and picked up his, but unlike the others, his was in pieces.

"So much for morphing," he muttered. Ethan and Kira both nodded. "So, it all went into and then out of Mesagog, huh?"

"Not all of it," Kira answered. "We can't morph, but, uh…"

She turned around and did her infamous Pterascream, looking a little proud of herself. Ethan concentrated and his skin looked a harder again. Trent backed up against some of the refuge and went chameleon. Tommy didn't bother to show him, but nodded that he had the same. Conner grinned. "Cool. Left over powers. Hey guys? Can we go home? The ground isn't comfy and I don't think I have Ranger healing anymore."

The others laughed and helped him up as they headed home. Conner made the same jokes and they joined in, but he couldn't help to look at what was left of his gem. Contrary to what he had let on, he remembered what happened when Tommy's gem had broken into only three pieces. He shook it off and continued, trying to ignore the knowledge that he'd nearly died again.

* * *

"Tommy, I'm going to kill you!" Hayley said as they walked through the door to the Lab. She stormed over and looked him over. "Are you alright?"

"We're all fine," he promised.

"Good. I'm going to kill you! You left me alone with the most stubborn woman in the world! Do you have any idea what I had to do to keep her sitting down?" Hayley demanded. The former Rangers were all snickering, even Billy, at Hayley's ranting. They'd all had to deal with their former teammate and her insane stubbornness. "And you knew she would do it!"

"Is she upstairs?" Tommy asked and Hayley nodded.

"Yes, after she saw that you were all alive and well, we made you go lay back down upstairs. Which involved more protesting, I might add!" Hayley complained. Tommy kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Hayley. You've known her for years. She just sort of gets that way," Tommy said with a shrug. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Yeah, yeah. Get going, you five. There are two people up there who are especially worried," she answered and turned to the former Rangers. "You guys too. I'll be up in a minute. I just need to finish some things down here."

Tommy nodded and led them upstairs. Both Mercer and Kim were awake with Elsa who had the job of making sure they didn't go anywhere. The former villainess stood back when they headed over to both of them, grinning. Kim looked over and sighed a bit of relief. "You guys had me so worried!" She exclaimed, leaning into her boyfriend as he sat down next to her, her face filled with fury. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Will you marry me?" He asked. Everyone turned and looked over at that, a little surprised by his timing. "I wanted to ask you before I went to fight, but your eyes were closed and I was worried you were sleeping."

"So, you're asking me three minutes after you get back? What if I only say yes because you nearly died and I'm scared to say no?" She demanded. He shrugged.

"You won't," he answered and gave his a slight grin. "And if you do, yes is still yes."

"Tommy!" She exclaimed, but he said nothing. Instead, he looked at her, waiting for her answer. "Okay, okay. Yes, I'll marry you. All the men in the world and I have to choose the one who goes looking for trouble."

Tommy smiled at her joke, but shook his head. "Nope. Conner is just as bad and Kira has to deal with him."

Kim's attention immediately turned to the now former red Dino Thunder Ranger. "You! I think you gave me more gray hairs in the past day than I've gotten in my lifetime! And before you throw Ethan in, he was only really involved in one near suicidal act! You made it through that and turned around and nearly got yourself killed again! What do you have to say for yourself, young man?!"

"Umm… It worked?" He tried and at her scowl, he pointed to his science teacher. "He already proposed so I can't use that!" The others laughed, hard, at Conner's comment and Zack leaned down to whisper something in Conner's ear. "Oh. Uh… Kim? Have I mentioned lately how great a mentor you are?"

Kim laughed and shook her head, wanting to get up. Instead, all of the newly former Rangers other than Trent headed over to her. She hugged each of them in turn before leaning into Tommy. "At least you guys are alright. So, is there anything left from this era?"

"Yep," Conner answered. "Trent, yours is the only one I think we should do in the house."

Trent nodded and camouflaged into the wall before reappearing. Billy and Hayley, who had just arrived from finishing what she was doing, looked intrigued. Hayley ran back downstairs and came back up with a specific scanner. Both of the geniuses spent the next fifteen minutes going over the scans before coming up with a decision. Hayley shrugged. "For better or worse, it's permanent."

Conner grinned. "Cool! That also means that I can find you guys. I can still feel you if I try," he answered. Tommy immediately looked at the four.

"Let's try not to abuse that," he said quickly and the teens laughed and agreed. "We also still have the raptors. At least, I think we have all four. I didn't see Blue."

Kim smiled at that. "Don't worry about Blue. She's in the spare bedroom with Neen. We had Neen go take her nap and Blue just sort of followed. We think she's on a maternal kick."

Jason whipped his head around to Tommy. "Those things can't breed, can they?"

"No, Jason. They can't breed," Tommy answered. "Stop worrying. So, I guess Blue is going to miss her playmate when you leave, Billy."

Billy sighed and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "I discussed the situation with Cestro this morning in order to get an unbiased opinion on that situation. While I shall visit, Aquitar has not been my home since Cestria's death and Neen seems happier here. Therefore, we are moving back to Earth."

"Seriously?" Kim asked and Billy smiled at her and nodded.

"Yes! I'm moving to California, Jason and Trini are in Angel Grove, Kim and Tommy are in Reefside, and Billy's moving back," Zack said happily. "The family's back together!"

Kim and Tommy both cheered and laughed with the others, but even though their old family was pulling itself back together, the school year was nearly over and soon their students would be moving on. Conner, Kira, and Ethan had become family over the past year and sometimes families split up like it had for the others and it was right for them to go. They just wished that they weren't going to miss them as much as they knew they would.

* * *

"Ethan! Hey! You showed up!" Conner greeted his friend as he walked in with Kira. The now-former yellow Ranger looked just as happy to see their friend as her date. Conner grinned and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You look great!"

"Yeah, well, you don't look horrible," Ethan teased, but he was grinning just as hard as his best friends. "And Kira, that dress looks great on you."

She shrugged. "It's not something I'd usually wear, but Conner whined until I was willing to."

"I didn't whine," Conner said. "I begged. There's so a difference."

Both of his friends just laughed and shook their heads, not being able to help it. Ethan looked at him. "You know, that's really not better."

"I'll take what I can get," Conner answered. "Besides, she's in a pretty dress. Other than when Kim and Doctor O get married, this may be the last time we'll ever see her in a dress. Or in your case, at all."

"Hey! How come I'm getting kicked out?" He asked and Conner looked at him.

"Gee, I wonder, Einstein. How many colleges were banging down your door to let you in," he asked. Ethan gave him a look.

"What, and you're any better? With your soccer skills, I'm sure you're going to play somewhere that has a good education system too," Ethan answered. Kira put up her hands to stop the two from the impending argument.

"Guys, prom. Good times. Let it go," she scolded. "Besides, we're here to have a good time, right? Hey Hayley!"

The café owner waved as she saw them, taking her break from greeting at the door for the moment. She worked her way over to them. "You guys look great."

"Thanks, Hayley," Conner answered. "Have you seen the rest of the chaperones or possibly Trent?"

"Just look up," she told him and walked off to greet some of the other students. Having lent her café to the activity, she was busy making sure that they were having a good time. Conner shrugged and they looked up, seeing their mentors as well as the others. Trent was standing near his father for the moment and Conner nodded to himself as he realized that it was actually sort of peaceful looking.

They made their way up and leaned against the balcony next to Trent. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, man," Conner answered. "So, you leaving?"

Trent nodded. "I'm leaving for art school pretty much right after graduation. I just need to get away for a while."

Conner nodded. "I can understand that. So, we'll see you for winter break, right?"

"Yeah. As long as I'm still welcome. Thanks, by the way," Trent said, not finishing what he meant and Conner shrugged.

"No problem. Besides, look at the bright side. You've already got a Van Gogh thing going. It was Van Gogh, right?" Conner asked, referring to Trent's ear. The other boy looked slightly amused and nodded. "There, see? You're on your way!"

"Speaking of going places," Kim mentioned. "Where are the three of you headed?"

Conner looked a little embarrassed, but he went first. "Reefside State," he admitted. Ethan looked at him incredulously and Kira wasn't much better.

"Seriously?" Kira asked. When he nodded, she grinned. "Me too!"

"You in the market for a roommate?" Ethan asked and they both turned to him as he shrugged. "Seemed like the right course of action."

"Wait, you're all staying?" Kim asked. "What about those colleges that were offering you spots?"

Conner looked even more embarrassed. "Well, when I was supposed to be accepting and declining and applying, I was still a Ranger and I wasn't sure when that was going to be over," he started and looked at his friends' faces. "No way! You guys too?"

Ethan nodded. "Oh yeah. I mean, it could have ended when it did or three years from now and I didn't want to let down the team, so I accepted here so that I could go to college and help if I needed to."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Kira added. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to try to get my music career up and running, but I figure that having a degree in music can't hurt."

All four of the adults looked upset as guilt began to take them all on. Tommy was the first to step up. "Look, we can help you get transferred," he offered. "I can write you a reference letter, if that will help. Another one."

"And I'll help you look into the rules," added Kim. "I mean, we should probably know them."

"I'll be happy to write a reference letter as well," Elsa offered. "And I'll do whatever I can to help."

"If the three of you need my help in anyway, I'll be happy to assist," added Anton. "It's my fault that the three of you are stuck here to begin with."

The teenagers looked at each other and then laughed knowing that they were all thinking the same thing. So when Conner stepped forward, they let him do the talking. "No thanks, Guys. Look, when we accepted it to begin with, it was just because of Rangering, but we're not ready to leave. We want to help. Eventually something big and ugly is going to show up and we might not be able to morph anymore, but we still can do something."

"Besides," Ethan said. "I have two better teachers here than I would anywhere else. Come on, Hayley got bored."

"And the music program is just fine here," Kira added. Ethan turned to her.

"Speaking of music, I'm creating a video game and I was wondering if you'd do the music for it. And Conner? Could you check out the fight scenes with me? I want to make sure they look right," Ethan added.

"Of course!" Kira said happily, but Conner frowned.

"On one condition," he said. Ethan motioned for him to continue. "That you'll be my roommate next year."

"Done," Ethan agreed. The adults looked a little perplexed.

"So, you're fine with this?" Kim asked and they all shrugged and nodded. "Well, if you change your minds, let us know."

Tommy looked at his watch and hissed. "Kira, we're going to be late," he muttered. She glanced over and swore under her breath before turning to Conner.

"Hey, I'm going to have to ditch for a while. I'll see you soon. Love you!" She said racing off followed by Conner who grinned.

"Hear that? She loves me," he told Ethan and both he and Trent laughed. The three boys headed back down to get some food and punch as their female companion disappeared.

Within minutes, Kira was redressed and ready to go as the science teacher finished her introduction. The crowd went nuts, though not nearly as much as her friends did to cheer her on.

* * *

Hayley joined Kim as Tommy came back and the three stood back to watch. Tommy put his arm around his fiancé while Hayley stood on his other side. "They've grown up."

Tommy glanced at Hayley as she spoke and nodded. "They have," he agreed. "I sometimes think it's hard to imagine they're they same kids."

"So, does that mean we changed? A lot?" Kim asked and Tommy nodded.

"I think so. Though not as drastically maybe," he answered. "But you're definitely not the mallrat you used to be."

She smiled back. "Well, you're not as forgetful or late."

Hayley shrugged. "I think this mentoring thing has done wonders for you both," she teased and she immediately decided to go further. "Of course it was easier on me since I had the best kid. I mean, intelligent and a quick learner."

"Are you kidding?" Tommy asked, joining in. "Kira was much better. She's the only one who managed to stay out of trouble most of the time."

"Oh, come on!" Kim finished. "Conner was the one to figure out how to use Trent and he was the one that used the power."

Tommy gave her a look. "He nearly got himself killed. Twice."

"It's a Red trait," both Kim and Hayley answered as they turned back to the music. Tommy opened his mouth to argue, but shrugged and joined them. It was a ridiculous argument anyway. They'd all done well.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Don't forget that there is an epilogue which should be out later this week. I need to finish going over it.

I think one of my favorite parts in the series was Ethan's "not going to fall out of the sky" comments. Especially since they seemed to work. So, I wanted to put that in. The sequel will deal with a lot of the things that happened in this one so don't worry about them not being addressed her. One of the main purposes of the sequel is to deal with the issues from this story and how it's affected the characters.

Thank you all for the reviews from last chapter! I appreciate all of them!


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

All of the former Power Rangers rested against chairs and the couch. Even Hayley, whose café was closed for the day so that they weren't cramped in the Lair, was spread out in a relaxed pose. After a year long war, an exhausting final battle, and doing the chaperoning at prom for Kim, Tommy, and Hayley at the very least, all of them needed a break. Trini was resting on Jason's shoulder as Billy sat next to Hayley, taking a break from talking about their next project. Zack had propped his feet up on the table to Hayley's continued chagrin, yet she was tired of telling him no. Kim glanced over at Tommy who had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. "How is grading going?"

"Mostly done," he told her without opening his eyes. "The test was pretty self-explanatory so it's easy to figure out if they studied or not. In case you're wondering, yes they all passed."

"Good. I'd hate for them to have failed the one teacher who likes them. Has Elsa heard back from the school board?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yep. Somehow, they bought our shape-shifting alien kidnapped the real Principal Randall and took her place story," he answered. "So, she's back for good."

"You think she'll transfer to Angel Grove for us?" Jason asked, joining the conversation. "'Cause, it's our turn next and we could use a principal who knows what's going on."

"Not a chance," Tommy answered, opening one eye to glare at his best friend. "I went through Hell with her evil this year. I want a year at least with her as my good-guy boss."

Trini looked over at Zack and Billy. "How is it going for you guys? Almost done?"

Zack groaned. "I have at least another week, but then I'm done. I don't like negotiating very much."

"I am shocked," Billy said sardonically and turned to Trini when Zack glared at him. "It will take me a little longer if for no other reason than the transporter needs to recharge. However, Neen and I are enjoying our new house."

Before Trini could say anything else, the door flew open and three excitable teens came running in with far too much energy by the adults' standards. Conner did a quick count and grinned at Kira and Ethan. "They're all here!"

"Good," said Kira and she looked at Tommy. "Can you take us to Angel Grove please?"

The adults looked around in confusion by the teenagers' question not to mention the three teens' body language. It wasn't unusual for Conner to bounce in place when he was excited or even Ethan to a certain extent, but even Kira was joining in. Tommy sighed finally, knowing they weren't going to get the answers they wanted just sitting there. "Why do you want to go to Angel Grove? And don't you three have finals?"

"We finished them," Ethan answered with a shrug. "Seniors always finish early. And we want to see where the Power Rangers first came from."

"Ethan and I almost got to when Jason was under the influence of the rock," Conner added, not so helpfully. "But once Hayley tracked him down, we had to go back to save Kira."

"Gee, thanks, Conner," Kira said, but she was still smiling. "Please?"

"Please?" The boys added. Tommy sighed and looked at them.

"You want to see the Command Center." It wasn't a question. He could have sworn that they got even more excited at that and began to nod. "Guys, it's been destroyed for years. It's dusty, it has cobwebs, and no one lives there anymore."

"It's still part of our history, right?" Conner asked. "And you've been telling us how important that is. Come on, Doctor O."

Tommy groaned and looked at the others who shrugged, but looked as uncomfortable as he was. He motioned for them to help, but every last one of them gave him the 'you're our fearless leader' look. "How long are you going to drive Kim and me nuts?"

"Until you take us," Conner answered. "And we've got all summer…"

"And at least next year…" Kira added.

"And next summer…" Conner continued.

"Not to mention that we can call and e-mail," Ethan said.

"And visit…" Conner continued, but Tommy cut them off before they could continue.

"I'll take you if everyone else goes," he said quickly. The others looked at the teenagers' face and quickly agreed. No one wanted a 3 a.m. phone call and none of them doubted the kids would do it. Conner ran to the spare room where Neen had been playing and knocked.

"Hey Neen! They agreed!" He called. She raced out the door and over to where the teens were. The adult were groaning and dragging themselves up as Neen motioned for Conner to lean down.

"It's done?" She whispered and he nodded. "Good."

* * *

"How did we let you talk us into this?" Kim asked tiredly. They'd been against going to the Command Center since they reached Angel Grove and before. They'd spent over an hour trying to convince the trio to go anywhere else, but they wouldn't have it. Every time they managed to distract one or even two of them, the third who was usually Kira, reminded them of where they were supposed to be going. 

"Just think," Tommy encouraged, though he was just as unhappy as the others. "We go and we don't have to deal with 3 o' clock phone calls. And we can only kill so many of them before the police notice. I don't think the Silver Guardians would bail us out for killing our own."

"Eric might," Jason muttered. Trini batted his arm at that and smiled a bit.

"He would not. And if he did, Wes would stop him," she scolded.

"I don't see why you dragged me along. I'm not a former, current, or future Ranger. I could have stayed on the couch," Hayley snapped before turning to Billy who had his sleeping daughter in his arms. "You look like you could use a break. Here, I've got her."

Billy gently handed Neen over while Tommy rolled his eyes at her question. "Because if we have to suffer, so do you. They're a third yours."

"There it is!" Conner said before Hayley could quip again. The former center was as badly destroyed as they remembered it to be. The charred remains hadn't changed and it was still well-hidden on the hill. Once it was in sight, the long trek seemed too short for the first Rangers. Conner, Kira, and Ethan were chatting amongst themselves to hold off the silence and once they got close, an awakened Neen joined them. They entered in and Tommy was the first to notice slight changes as they headed into the Power Chamber.

"It's cleaner," he muttered and Kim shrugged.

"I guess so," she whispered back. "You don't think something moved in, do you?"

"I doubt it. It's too far out of the way. If we hadn't been here several times before, we wouldn't have known where to find it," he answered. He pulled her to him and held her as they walked, not surprised to see the Jason and Trini were doing the same as they led the way. Hayley had a hand on Billy's shoulder and Zack was just quiet as they continued. Even the kids were quiet to Tommy's surprise.

"Oh my God." Tommy whipped his head up at Jason's remark to see what had shocked his friend. As they entered into the main room, Tommy wasn't sure that the words covered what they saw.

It was clean, spotless really. Like before, there were Power Ranger suits as décor around, but it wasn't just the originals this time. Original, Zeo, Turbo, Space, Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed, Time Force, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, Alien, and even Dino Thunder proudly shown amongst each other, a holographic display of the Ranger who had worn it (or multiple Rangers as the case may have been) was in front of it with the name and a bit of history about them. Replicas of the various weapons had been placed above them. On various tables, there were small replicas of the Zords within the teams as well as the Megazord for each team in the center. In the center, there was a computer that controlled two things: A new viewing Globe and Zordon's tube. In the tube, there was a nod to each of the mentors for all of the teams as well as the technicians. The viewing globe lit up and Andros's face could be seen in it.

_"If you're seeing this, it means the new kids managed to convince you to come. Considering that this entire thing was their idea and they seemed as persistent as all of you, I had no doubt they'd manage. We set up security, so no one who doesn't already know about us can get in. We thought we'd leave it to Billy to set up a teleportation system to get inside. Finally, just about every former Ranger was involved in this. Eric and Wes even got a hold of the other Time Force Rangers for their opinions. Enjoy,_" he said and nodded to them before the face disappeared. It was followed by the other Rangers of various eras waving and greeting them in their own way, telling them they hoped they'd enjoyed it. Afterward, it became part of the viewing globe footage that Tommy had collected over the years.

Kira, Ethan, and Conner stood there laughing and grinning at the others' surprise and even Neen looked pleased with herself. Conner looked at them. "It took a little work, especially getting a hold of the other Rangers, but Neen helped with that. We, uh, wanted to give you something. Something really cool. Did it work?"

Kim wasn't sure when the last time all six of them, seven including Hayley who was just intrigued, had been speechless but she knew that they were now. All of them looked to the others to see what they had to say, but no one came up with anything. Zack was looking at the replica of his beloved ax, while Trini was looking through the footage, Billy and Hayley were looking at the replicas of the Zords, Tommy and Kim were both looking at their old Pink and White uniforms, and Jason was going through the mentors and technicians. He was finally the one to break the silence, though not toward the teen's question. "Guys… look."

There were them, in their current ages, standing in a group. They recognized it as one of the pictures from the wedding and even Hayley was in it. It was a 3-D image at this point as if they had been pulled directly out of real-life. Considering that some of the pictures had been taken with alien or at least advanced technology, that was probably as close to the case as possible to explain. Under it, it read: _Jason Lee Scott, Thomas "Tommy" Oliver, Trini Kwan-Scott, Kimberly "Kim" Hart, William "Billy" Cranston, Zackary "Zack" Taylor, the only mentors to actually be Power Rangers themselves. Head mentors: Kimberly Hart and Thomas Oliver. Mentors of: Dino Thunder Rangers. Technician: Hayley Ziktor. Only permanently civilian technician, mentored as well. First generation Power Rangers, first generation Power Mentors._

While the teenagers tried to be patient, Neen had had enough. "So, do you like it?"

Billy came over and scooped the girl up in a hug. The others turned and looked at the worried teenagers and Hayley, Kim, and Tommy nodded. Kim finally spoke. "We love it. We're just… wow."

"It's perfect," Tommy assured them. He turned to his former teammates to see them nod as well. He wrapped an arm around Kira as Hayley and Kim placed their hands on the shoulders of their particular students as they all stared at the hologram and thought back on their own memories.

_"Jason, bold and powerful, you shall command the Tyrannosaurus dinosaur. Zachary, you are clever and brave. You shall command the Mastodon dinosaur. Kimberly, graceful and small, the Pterodactyl dinosaur shall be yours. Billy, patient and wise, you shall command the powerful Triceratops dinosaur. Trini, fearless and agile, the sabertooth tiger dinosaur shall be under your command."_

"_We'll have to find others. Look, we're not doing this to relive our glory days. We're doing this because we're the eldest, the first, and_ _we have to be responsible for it or no one else will."_

"_We're not perfect, but neither was Zordon. Think about what we've managed to get done already just today. We've all been feeling inadequate, but how do you think Zordon felt? At some point, he had to have had a mentor as well."_

_"No matter what happens, no matter what we face, we are strong enough and good enough to handle it. We can handle anything."_

_"You are the coolest mentor ever!"_

_"Why them, Kim? Huh? Why them? Why are you so ready to just decide that they were the ones who were supposed to get those?"_

"_Because the gems chose them. Because they came back. Because they did what we did! They left and when they got into trouble, they came here. They trust you!"_

"_You're not replacing us, right?"_

_"And we get a large ball, right? And we play a weird form of basketball on raptor back. With how they can jump, it would be great!"_

_"Please call me 'Neen'. That is what Papa calls me."_

"_I'm sure Jason and Trini thought this was a great idea. We're not going at it like bunnies, so obviously we need help."_

"_What am I supposed to say? I'm not used to people apologizing to me. Especially girls."_

"_What do you have to say for yourself?"_

"_Will you marry me?" _

"_Yes, Trini, let's count on the same boys who planned the 'retreat'."_

"_Does a better plan include starting karaoke?"_

"_Speaking of Red Rangers, by the way, whenever they get together, they tend to do very stupid things. I want you to listen to me, Conner. If Tommy and a man named Jason try to convince you to go on any sort of 'Red Only' Mission, I want you to tell them that you can't go. Think of a reason, any reason. You're sick, you're dying, something, and make sure that you are not involved."_

"_Doctor O, where are they?"_

"_It's not like they're going to fall out of the sky and land right in front of us. Or trip over the rubble as they're stumbling here, blaming the other for being in their way. Or be arguing with each other about something stupid, waiting for me to tell them they're both doofuses because they're doing it again. Or arguing over video games and soccer and which is better. Or teasing me about falling for evil Rangers before arguing over whether or not that means Conner is evil. Or telling me that I need to lighten up because I'm always trying to bring them back down to Earth. Oh God, Doctor O! They're gone!"_

"_It could work, but not if we all do it separately. We're going to have to push it through one of us and I don't know what it will do to the gems or that person or even the rest of us."_

"_Then I'll do it."_

"_They've grown up."_

"_We have to be responsible for it or no one else will."_

"_For Zordon."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **You know, for being so short, this was actually a pretty difficult chapter to get down right. Mainly because, outside of the series itself, there were nineteen chapters of quotes to go through and pick through and I ended up adding and deleting many different ones. Not to mention trying to describe the new look of the room and everything else. But it's done and while far, far in the future I might come back and change around some of the quotes at the end, I'm happy with it enough for now.

Considering that I just got the epilogue up, I might be a little late on the first chapter of the sequel. Possibly. I don't know yet, it all depends on crazy things like how I'm feeling after work and stuff like that. While still a T rating, the next one will be a little darker and will deal with a lot of the issues that happened in this one.

I want to thank everyone who has read this and especially to those of you who reviewed for this chapter and overall. I enjoyed writing it, but I especially love that all of you enjoyed reading it.


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